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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. club — for golf
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ball — a dance
  6. club — for dancing
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. swing — music
  9. root — of a word
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. charge — a price
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. root — of a plant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. club — a group
  17. ball — a great time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. charge — in control
  20. fall — the season
  21. tube — a container
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tube — the underground
  24. root — the cause

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