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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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: march · club · chair · spell · charge · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. club — for golf
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. charge — in control
  6. chair — a leader
  7. march — the month
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. charge — electricity
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rule — a law
  12. spell — letters
  13. charge — a price
  14. club — a group
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. club — for dancing
  18. spell — magic

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