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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. club — a group
  3. drill — the tool
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. charge — electricity
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. club — for dancing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. club — for golf
  12. capital — money
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. board — a committee
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. charge — a price
  20. charge — in control
  21. deal — to handle
  22. capital — a city
  23. board — to get on
  24. date — the fruit

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