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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: dip · calf · clip · charge · sharp · season · hand · chip

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. chip — for betting
  3. season — of the year
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. dip — to sink
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. charge — in control
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. clip — to cut
  11. chip — to eat
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. charge — a price
  14. season — in sport
  15. clip — for paper
  16. hand — help
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. hand — in cards
  19. clip — a video
  20. sharp — clever
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. season — to add flavour

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