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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. club — a group
  4. charge — electricity
  5. court — for sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. club — for dancing
  10. court — of law
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — in control
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. object — to protest
  16. tube — a container
  17. charge — a price
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. object — an aim
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — the underground

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