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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 · dip · hand · mug · bound · cell · chip · court

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. bound — tied together
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cell — in biology
  6. court — for sport
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bound — certain
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. mug — a face
  15. chip — for betting
  16. charge — in control
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. cell — a phone
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bound — obliged
  24. mug — to rob

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