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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. wax — to grow
  3. game — wild animals
  4. chip — to eat
  5. chip — for betting
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. band — a ring
  9. club — for golf
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cell — a phone
  13. charge — a price
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. charge — in control
  18. club — for dancing
  19. game — a match
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a music group
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. cell — in biology
  24. charge — electricity

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