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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: clip · chip · arm · rash · pitch · charge · branch · current

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  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. rash — on the skin
  2. charge — a price
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. current — happening now
  6. clip — a video
  7. current — of water
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. current — electric
  10. rash — hasty
  11. chip — for betting
  12. clip — for paper
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. clip — to cut
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rash — a series
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. charge — electricity
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — a division
  23. pitch — completely
  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