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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 120 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: chair · snap · net · squash · charge · chip · kick · sharp

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. chip — to eat
  4. squash — the sport
  5. net — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. sharp — clever
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. squash — to crush
  12. charge — in control
  13. chip — for betting
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. net — for catching
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kick — in football
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. charge — a price

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