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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. charge — a price
  3. land — a country
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. charge — in control
  7. club — for dancing
  8. land — to come down
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kid — to tease
  11. spell — a short time
  12. present — there
  13. ball — a great time
  14. kid — child
  15. spell — letters
  16. present — the time now
  17. land — ground
  18. spell — magic
  19. ball — a dance
  20. charge — electricity
  21. mug — to rob
  22. present — a gift
  23. club — for golf
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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