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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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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: cell · date · club · charge · bat · kid · chip · jam

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — for dancing
  4. chip — to eat
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. date — the fruit
  12. kid — child
  13. charge — a price
  14. kid — to tease
  15. chip — for betting
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. club — for golf
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. club — a group
  24. cell — in biology

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