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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 120 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. fall — to drop
  3. charge — in control
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. fall — the season
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. club — for golf
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. charge — electricity
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — a price
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bat — the animal
  18. bowl — a dish

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