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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: shower · cap · bass · charge · chip · ground · cell · racket

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. charge — in control
  3. cell — a phone
  4. charge — electricity
  5. shower — to wash
  6. ground — crushed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bass — the fish
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cell — in biology
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. chip — for betting
  15. shower — rain
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bass — low music
  18. ground — the earth
  19. charge — a price
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — a lid
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cap — of ice

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