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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: club · charge · roll · rule · swing · chair

  1. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a professorship
  2. club — for dancing
  3. swing — to play on
  4. club — for golf
  5. charge — a price
  6. rule — government
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. swing — music
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. charge — in control
  11. swing — in golf
  12. rule — a law
  13. roll — a list
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. charge — electricity
  17. club — a group
  18. roll — a cake

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