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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.

Make a worksheet

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

Words on the sheet
468
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: field · root · mine · file · clip · arm · charge · game

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. clip — to cut
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. root — the cause
  6. file — a tool
  7. root — of a plant
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. field — a subject
  10. root — of a word
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. field — farmland
  13. file — a document
  14. clip — for paper
  15. charge — a price
  16. game — wild animals
  17. clip — a video
  18. mine — for digging
  19. game — a match
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. field — for sport
  23. file — a line of people
  24. game — a kind of play

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