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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. game — a match
  5. capital — a city
  6. club — for dancing
  7. club — for golf
  8. charge — a price
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. stock — goods
  12. capital — money
  13. fork — in a road
  14. stock — shares
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. charge — in control
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. row — to paddle
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. game — wild animals
  23. charge — electricity
  24. row — a line

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