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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  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. club — for golf
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — rain
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — a price
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. row — a line
  10. dip — to sink
  11. pass — a permit
  12. row — to paddle
  13. charge — electricity
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spring — of water
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. scale — in music
  20. spring — a coil
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. spring — the season
  23. club — for dancing
  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