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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. club — for golf
  4. land — ground
  5. club — a group
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. club — for dancing
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bulb — for light
  11. charge — electricity
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. charge — in control
  14. game — wild animals
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. game — a match
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. land — to come down
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. bulb — for light
  24. land — a country

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