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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 116 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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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 · saw · kid · rule · club · charge · file · last

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. charge — a price
  3. last — finally
  4. saw — the tool
  5. file — a tool
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cue — a hint
  8. club — for golf
  9. last — to go on
  10. last — final
  11. cue — a signal
  12. charge — in control
  13. saw — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. cue — for pool
  16. rule — government
  17. kid — to tease
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. charge — electricity
  20. file — a document
  21. file — a line of people
  22. club — a group
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. rule — a law

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