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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.

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: club · squash · cabinet · charge · field · suit · date · net

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. field — farmland
  3. net — after costs
  4. net — in sport
  5. club — for golf
  6. squash — the sport
  7. field — for sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. suit — in cards
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. club — for dancing
  13. field — a subject
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — a group
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. suit — to fit
  20. net — for catching
  21. charge — in control
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. charge — electricity
  24. suit — clothes

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