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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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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. bass — low music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mate — to breed
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. mate — a partner
  10. charge — a price
  11. deal — to handle
  12. staff — a stick
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. branch — a division
  15. bass — the fish
  16. chip — to eat
  17. staff — employees
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. charge — in control
  20. staff — employees
  21. chip — for betting
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. chip — in a computer

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