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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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468
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: cell · charge · trunk · dip · squash · chip · degree · ball

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — a price
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. charge — in control
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. dip — to sink
  8. chip — for betting
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. degree — temperature
  14. charge — electricity
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. squash — the sport
  17. degree — an amount
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. squash — to crush
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ball — a dance
  24. trunk — of a car

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