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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 120 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cue — for pool
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — for dancing
  6. tear — from crying
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. club — a group
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. club — for golf
  13. net — for catching
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. lie — to recline
  16. cue — a hint
  17. net — after costs
  18. tear — to rip
  19. charge — a price
  20. cue — a signal
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. tear — from crying
  23. charge — in control
  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