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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: straw · cell · drill · mate · last · charge · sharp · chip

  1. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — in a computer
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. mate — a partner
  4. last — finally
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — in control
  8. mate — to breed
  9. drill — army training
  10. sharp — clever
  11. chip — to eat
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mate — a friend
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — the tool
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. last — final
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. last — to go on
  20. charge — electricity
  21. cell — a phone
  22. chip — for betting
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. straw — dry grass

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