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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. club — for golf
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. press — to push
  7. current — happening now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — a group
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. season — in sport
  12. charge — in control
  13. press — newspapers
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. current — of water
  18. season — of the year
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. press — a publisher
  21. current — electric
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. vault — a safe

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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