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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. club — for dancing
  3. race — a contest
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. club — a group
  11. scale — size or range
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. race — the arms race
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. race — humankind
  17. club — for golf
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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