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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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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: root · charge · club · sharp · mine · pop · spell · ball

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. 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. pop — music
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. spell — letters
  4. ball — a dance
  5. club — for dancing
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. charge — electricity
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. pop — to visit
  10. charge — in control
  11. root — of a plant
  12. pop — soda
  13. root — of a word
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. charge — a price
  16. mine — for digging
  17. sharp — clever
  18. root — the cause
  19. spell — a short time
  20. club — a group
  21. ball — a great time
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. club — for golf
  24. 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