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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: saw · rush · mate · charge · toast · chip · wind · sharp

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. mate — a partner
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. rush — hurry
  5. charge — electricity
  6. sharp — clever
  7. mate — to breed
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. saw — the tool
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. charge — a price
  12. wind — moving air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chip — to eat
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — a friend
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. chip — for betting
  24. charge — in control

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