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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mate — a friend
  3. club — for golf
  4. charge — electricity
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — to breed
  8. hand — help
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. net — in sport
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tube — the underground
  14. charge — in control
  15. net — for catching
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. tube — a container
  20. club — for dancing
  21. charge — a price
  22. net — after costs
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — a partner

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