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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 116 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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. club — a group
  4. can — to be able to
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. cold — an illness
  7. can — a tin
  8. cold — not warm
  9. mug — to rob
  10. chair — a leader
  11. craft — a skill
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mug — a face
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. craft — boats
  17. club — for dancing
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. charge — in control
  20. can — a tin
  21. bass — low music
  22. club — for golf
  23. charge — a price
  24. charge — electricity

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