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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. club — for golf
  3. track — a song
  4. bass — the fish
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in biology
  7. track — to keep track
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. club — for dancing
  11. wind — moving air
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to click
  15. bass — low music
  16. track — a path
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — a group
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. charge — a price
  21. cell — a phone
  22. charge — electricity
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bass — the instrument

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