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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: cue · charge · dip · rash · file · staff · content · land

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. staff — employees
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. file — a tool
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — a stick
  11. cue — for pool
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. rash — hasty
  14. content — happy
  15. cue — a signal
  16. file — a line of people
  17. dip — to sink
  18. charge — a price
  19. charge — in control
  20. cue — a hint
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rash — a series
  24. file — a document

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