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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. club — for golf
  4. charge — a price
  5. game — a match
  6. net — in sport
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. row — a line
  9. game — wild animals
  10. charge — in control
  11. net — after costs
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wound — an injury
  15. charge — electricity
  16. row — to paddle
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. net — for catching
  22. club — a group
  23. rash — a series
  24. club — for dancing

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