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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 · chip · tube · toast · lash · club · mine · sharp

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. sharp — clever
  3. club — for golf
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. club — for dancing
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. tube — the underground
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. chip — to eat
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. toast — bread
  14. tube — a container
  15. charge — in control
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. charge — a price
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. club — a group
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. chip — for betting
  24. mine — for digging

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