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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mine · season · staff · last · rule · charge · wound · chip

  1. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. rule — a law
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — of the year
  6. staff — employees
  7. last — to go on
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. staff — a stick
  10. last — final
  11. charge — in control
  12. rule — government
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — a price
  17. chip — to eat
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. chip — for betting
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. wound — an injury
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com