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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: mine · coach · mug · wind · charge · sharp · lean · chip

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mug — a cup
  4. lean — to bend
  5. wind — moving air
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. chip — to eat
  11. wind — moving air
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. mug — a face
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. sharp — clever
  17. chip — for betting
  18. mine — for digging
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — thin
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — in control

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