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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. club — for golf
  3. charge — electricity
  4. net — in sport
  5. fall — to drop
  6. club — a group
  7. fall — the season
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. cap — a lid
  15. charge — a price
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. charge — in control
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cap — a hat
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. club — for dancing
  24. fall — to drop

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