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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. charge — in control
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. charge — electricity
  5. club — for golf
  6. capital — a city
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pound — a weight
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. prune — to trim
  12. club — a group
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. prune — to trim
  16. swing — music
  17. season — in sport
  18. charge — a price
  19. season — of the year
  20. capital — money
  21. club — for dancing
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pound — to hit hard

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