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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: chair · can · mine · tube · sharp · mouse · saw · charge

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. saw — the tool
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. charge — a price
  9. charge — electricity
  10. can — a tin
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mine — for digging
  15. chair — a leader
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. sharp — clever
  20. tube — the underground
  21. charge — in control
  22. can — a tin
  23. tube — a container
  24. mine — belonging to me

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