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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. band — a music group
  3. track — a song
  4. club — for dancing
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. club — for golf
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. track — to keep track
  11. mug — a cup
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. mug — to rob
  14. charge — a price
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. charge — in control
  17. mug — a face
  18. track — a path
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. band — a ring
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cabinet — ministers

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