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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. club — for golf
  5. object — to protest
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. rest — what's left
  11. charge — in control
  12. wake — a trail
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — a price
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rest — a break
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. club — a group

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