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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. fall — to drop
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fall — the season
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — electricity
  7. squash — to crush
  8. net — for catching
  9. degree — from a university
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. squash — the sport
  13. net — in sport
  14. bound — obliged
  15. net — after costs
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. fall — to drop
  18. degree — an amount
  19. charge — a price
  20. club — a group
  21. bound — certain
  22. degree — temperature
  23. bound — tied together
  24. club — for golf

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