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

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. cold — not warm
  3. club — for dancing
  4. club — a group
  5. scale — in music
  6. board — a committee
  7. club — for golf
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. suit — to fit
  10. scale — size or range
  11. charge — in control
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. suit — clothes
  14. board — to get on
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — a coil
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. plane — a tool
  21. spring — the season
  22. charge — electricity
  23. cold — an illness
  24. charge — a price

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