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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. suit — in cards
  3. charge — electricity
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — a price
  11. club — a group
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rock — music
  14. chip — to eat
  15. suit — clothes
  16. cold — an illness
  17. suit — to fit
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. squash — the sport
  21. rock — a stone
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. squash — to crush
  24. chip — in a computer

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