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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 120 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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. charge — electricity
  3. club — a group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. charge — a price
  6. cell — a phone
  7. chip — for betting
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. club — for dancing
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. squash — to crush
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. charge — in control
  17. chip — to eat
  18. deal — to handle
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. squash — the sport
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. club — for golf
  24. cell — in a prison

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