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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: mine · dip · cabinet · club · roll · kid · charge · pit

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. kid — to tease
  3. club — for dancing
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. charge — in control
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. kid — child
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. charge — a price
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. charge — electricity
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. mine — for digging
  16. pit — a hole
  17. roll — a list
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. club — a group
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. club — for golf
  24. pit — in a race

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