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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. charge — in control
  3. club — a group
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. charge — a price
  6. board — to get on
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stock — goods
  10. tube — a container
  11. club — for golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bat — the animal
  15. row — a line
  16. board — a committee
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — soda
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pop — music
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. pop — to visit

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