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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. club — for golf
  4. saw — the tool
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. charge — a price
  7. swing — in golf
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. swing — to play on
  10. can — a tin
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. charge — electricity
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. club — a group
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. can — to be able to
  18. mate — a friend
  19. charge — in control
  20. mate — a partner
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mate — to breed
  23. swing — music
  24. stand — to bear

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