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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: leaves · kid · chip · spell · charge · roll · wind · pop

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. charge — in control
  3. spell — letters
  4. roll — a list
  5. chip — to eat
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. wind — moving air
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. kid — child
  12. pop — music
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. charge — a price
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. pop — soda
  19. chip — for betting
  20. wind — moving air
  21. spell — a short time
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. spell — magic
  24. roll — on a roll

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