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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. charge — electricity
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kid — child
  5. club — for dancing
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. net — for catching
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. kid — to tease
  11. charge — a price
  12. branch — a division
  13. net — after costs
  14. charge — in control
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. club — for golf
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. chip — to eat
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — for betting
  21. net — in sport
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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