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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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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: chip · cell · charge · field · ball · snap

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. field — farmland
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. charge — electricity
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. field — a subject
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. charge — a price
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cell — in biology
  13. charge — in control
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. chip — for betting
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to click
  18. cell — a phone

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