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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: charge · cabinet · straw · board · date · stick · club · bass

  1. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. charge — a price
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — low music
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. charge — electricity
  11. board — to get on
  12. club — for golf
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. date — the fruit
  15. club — a group
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. bass — the fish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. charge — in control
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. board — a committee

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