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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 116 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: charge · object · wake · chair · row · club · cap · chip

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. charge — a price
  5. cap — a hat
  6. charge — in control
  7. club — a group
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. row — to paddle
  10. chip — for betting
  11. cap — of ice
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. object — an aim
  14. charge — electricity
  15. club — for dancing
  16. object — a thing
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — for golf
  20. chip — to eat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. object — to protest
  23. row — a line
  24. wake — before a funeral

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