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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. board — a committee
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. board — to get on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. pit — a hole
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. club — a group
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cold — not warm
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. pit — in a race
  19. charge — in control
  20. club — for golf
  21. charge — electricity
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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