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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 · date · scale · lash · chip · land · tube · pitcher

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. tube — a container
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. land — to come down
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chip — to eat
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. date — the fruit
  13. land — ground
  14. chip — for betting
  15. land — a country
  16. tube — the underground
  17. charge — a price
  18. scale — in music
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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