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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
468
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: pitcher · charge · hide · mug · club · rash · row · court

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. charge — electricity
  3. mug — a face
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. club — for golf
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. rash — a series
  9. row — a line
  10. mug — to rob
  11. row — to paddle
  12. court — of law
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. charge — a price
  15. club — for dancing
  16. mug — a cup
  17. club — a group
  18. charge — in control
  19. court — of a king
  20. rash — hasty
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitcher — a jug

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