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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: chip · rush · arm · face · cap · game · mine · charge

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. charge — a price
  5. cap — a lid
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. game — a match
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — in control
  14. face — part of the head
  15. chip — to eat
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chip — for betting
  20. cap — a hat
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. charge — electricity

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