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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. club — for golf
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. club — a group
  10. cap — a hat
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — in control
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. charge — a price
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. sharp — clever
  23. cap — of ice
  24. toast — bread

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