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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: row · mate · squash · charge · jam · net · scale · club

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — electricity
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. mate — a partner
  7. scale — size or range
  8. club — for dancing
  9. mate — to breed
  10. charge — a price
  11. squash — to crush
  12. charge — in control
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. club — for golf
  15. net — for catching
  16. row — a line
  17. club — a group
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. scale — in music
  20. squash — the sport
  21. row — to paddle
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. mate — a friend
  24. jam — a tight spot

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