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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. bat — the animal
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. snap — to click
  11. club — a group
  12. club — for golf
  13. branch — a division
  14. date — the fruit
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. charge — in control
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. charge — electricity
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. jam — a tight spot

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