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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: nail · chip · chest · content · mate · sharp · racket · charge

  1. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — to eat
  2. charge — a price
  3. mate — to breed
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. chest — of your body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. chest — a box
  8. sharp — clever
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. charge — in control
  13. chest — of your body
  14. charge — electricity
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — for betting
  17. content — the amount
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. content — happy
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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