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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. charge — electricity
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. shower — to wash
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. shower — rain
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. content — happy
  14. club — a group
  15. charge — in control
  16. pit — a hole
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. charge — a price
  19. rock — music
  20. pit — in a race
  21. content — the amount
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. club — for golf

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