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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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468
Word bank
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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  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. club — a group
  2. charge — in control
  3. wind — moving air
  4. charge — electricity
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. chest — of your body
  7. charge — a price
  8. club — for golf
  9. court — of a king
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. chest — a box
  13. court — for sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. roll — a list
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. file — a tool
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. roll — a cake
  23. court — of law
  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