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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 120 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: hand · charge · chip · cell · bat · bay · snap · temple

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. cell — a phone
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bat — the animal
  5. cell — in biology
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. hand — in cards
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. charge — in control
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chip — to eat
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. snap — to click
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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