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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. file — a document
  3. rock — a stone
  4. scale — size or range
  5. charge — electricity
  6. charge — in control
  7. file — a tool
  8. chip — for betting
  9. club — a group
  10. scale — in music
  11. club — for dancing
  12. capital — money
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. chip — to eat
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. file — a line of people
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. charge — a price
  21. rock — music
  22. stem — to come from
  23. capital — a city
  24. scale — for weighing

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