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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mate — a partner
  3. board — a committee
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. bound — obliged
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. club — for golf
  10. charge — in control
  11. mate — to breed
  12. club — a group
  13. mate — a friend
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. board — to get on
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bass — low music
  21. game — a match
  22. charge — a price
  23. bass — the fish
  24. game — wild animals

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