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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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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: bass · bat · chip · charge · branch · hand · board · present

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. present — there
  3. board — a committee
  4. charge — electricity
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. charge — in control
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bass — low music
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. board — to get on
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bass — the fish
  14. branch — a division
  15. chip — to eat
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. present — the time now
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bat — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. chip — for betting
  24. charge — a price

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