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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. rush — hurry
  4. chip — for betting
  5. board — a committee
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. band — a music group
  8. chip — to eat
  9. charge — in control
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. board — to get on
  16. bat — the animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. charge — a price
  23. band — a ring
  24. arm — part of the body

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