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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 · court · charge · mine · mouse · hand · chip · board

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. board — to get on
  3. hand — help
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. chip — to eat
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. charge — electricity
  10. clip — a video
  11. charge — a price
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. clip — to cut
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. clip — for paper
  17. chip — for betting
  18. court — of law
  19. board — a committee
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — for digging
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. charge — in control
  24. mouse — for a computer

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