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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 120 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: bore · cabinet · staff · file · hide · clip · charge · bat

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. staff — employees
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. bat — the animal
  7. file — a line of people
  8. charge — a price
  9. bore — to tire
  10. file — a tool
  11. clip — a video
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. file — a document
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. staff — employees
  18. charge — in control
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bore — to drill
  21. charge — electricity
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. staff — a stick
  24. clip — to cut

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