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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. saw — the tool
  3. net — in sport
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. staff — employees
  6. ground — crushed
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. saw — the tool
  9. staff — employees
  10. net — after costs
  11. club — for golf
  12. staff — a stick
  13. club — for dancing
  14. cell — in biology
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — a phone
  17. band — a ring
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. ground — a position
  20. net — for catching
  21. charge — a price
  22. ground — the earth
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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