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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: shower · bowl · cue · sharp · charge · last · chip · pitcher

  1. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. last — finally
  3. charge — a price
  4. cue — for pool
  5. charge — in control
  6. last — final
  7. shower — rain
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. chip — to eat
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — a hint
  13. shower — to wash
  14. chip — for betting
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. charge — electricity
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. last — to go on
  24. cue — a signal

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