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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: last · wave · chip · pitcher · content · tube · charge · pop

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  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. last — final
  2. tube — a container
  3. pop — to visit
  4. charge — a price
  5. pop — soda
  6. chip — for betting
  7. chip — to eat
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pop — music
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. last — finally
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. last — to go on
  16. content — the amount
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. wave — of the sea
  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