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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 120 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. club — for dancing
  4. root — of a word
  5. club — for golf
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. cue — for pool
  8. charge — in control
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — a signal
  11. root — the cause
  12. cue — a hint
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. root — of a plant
  17. swing — in golf
  18. charge — a price
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. club — a group
  21. clip — a video
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. charge — electricity
  24. fan — to cool the air

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