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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 116 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — in cards
  4. file — a document
  5. club — a group
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. hand — help
  8. season — of the year
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. present — the time now
  12. file — a tool
  13. charge — in control
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. file — a line of people
  16. present — there
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cell — a phone
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. cell — in biology
  22. season — in sport
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — a price

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