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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — a group
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. net — for catching
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. charge — a price
  8. squash — the sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. charge — electricity
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. club — for golf
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. net — in sport
  18. mark — a trace
  19. kid — child
  20. club — for dancing
  21. squash — to crush
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — in control
  24. rock — music

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