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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. club — for dancing
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. ball — a great time
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. charge — in control
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wound — an injury
  10. charge — a price
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. race — a contest
  14. ball — a dance
  15. squash — the sport
  16. race — the arms race
  17. club — for golf
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. race — humankind
  20. bark — to shout
  21. wound — an injury
  22. squash — to crush
  23. club — a group
  24. racket — for tennis

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