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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 124 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. squash — the sport
  4. charge — a price
  5. file — a document
  6. rule — government
  7. current — electric
  8. race — humankind
  9. file — a line of people
  10. club — for golf
  11. current — of water
  12. current — happening now
  13. race — a contest
  14. charge — in control
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. charge — electricity
  17. rule — a law
  18. club — for dancing
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. race — the arms race
  21. squash — to crush
  22. file — a tool
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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