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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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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: bass · chip · march · nail · temple · charge · club · sharp

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. charge — in control
  5. march — the month
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. charge — a price
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. bass — low music
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. march — music
  16. sharp — clever
  17. club — for dancing
  18. club — a group
  19. march — the month
  20. charge — electricity
  21. club — for golf
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chip — in 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