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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. club — for dancing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. charge — electricity
  6. wound — an injury
  7. firm — a company
  8. chip — to eat
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. rash — a series
  12. club — for golf
  13. wake — a trail
  14. club — a group
  15. firm — steady
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. firm — decided
  24. chip — for betting

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