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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. club — a group
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. snap — to click
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. charge — in control
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chair — a leader
  17. club — for dancing
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. ground — the earth
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. club — for golf
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. charge — a price

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