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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rule — government
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. tube — the underground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — in control
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. spell — magic
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. charge — a price
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. club — for golf
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. rule — a law
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — a container
  22. date — the fruit
  23. spell — letters
  24. racket — for tennis

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