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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. snap — to click
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. club — for golf
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. pop — music
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. club — a group
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. charge — in control
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. mug — a face
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. mug — to rob
  21. charge — a price
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bat — the animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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