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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. club — for golf
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. charge — electricity
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. tube — the underground
  9. club — a group
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — of the year
  13. fork — in a road
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. charge — in control
  16. cap — a hat
  17. club — for dancing
  18. game — wild animals
  19. season — in sport
  20. cap — of ice
  21. toast — bread
  22. cap — a lid
  23. game — a match
  24. tube — a container

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