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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rest — what's left
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. charge — in control
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — shares
  9. club — for golf
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. field — a subject
  14. cell — a phone
  15. stock — goods
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. field — farmland
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rest — a break
  23. club — a group
  24. cell — in a prison

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