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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. charge — in control
  3. mark — a grade
  4. mark — a trace
  5. game — wild animals
  6. charge — electricity
  7. club — for golf
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. kick — in football
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. charge — a price
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. club — for dancing
  23. game — a match
  24. cell — in biology

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