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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: chest · wax · land · toast · pit · swing · charge · club

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  24. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. land — ground
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. charge — electricity
  6. club — for golf
  7. chest — of your body
  8. pit — a hole
  9. club — for dancing
  10. swing — in golf
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. charge — in control
  13. chest — a box
  14. land — to come down
  15. pit — in a race
  16. charge — a price
  17. swing — music
  18. land — a country
  19. club — a group
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. swing — to play on
  23. wax — to grow
  24. wax — for sculpting

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