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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: charge · club · trunk · court · sharp · chip · kid · racket

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. court — for sport
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. chip — for betting
  9. charge — electricity
  10. club — for golf
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chip — to eat
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kid — to tease
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. court — of a king
  21. kid — child
  22. sharp — clever
  23. charge — in control
  24. court — of 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