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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 116 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: bore · squash · racket · charge · hand · chair · root · club

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bore — to tire
  6. bore — to drill
  7. chair — a leader
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. charge — in control
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. club — a group
  12. charge — a price
  13. root — of a word
  14. squash — to crush
  15. charge — electricity
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. hand — help
  18. root — of a plant
  19. squash — the sport
  20. club — for golf
  21. root — the cause
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. hand — in cards

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