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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: club · content · chair · charge · pop · stem · straw · present

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pop — music
  3. stem — to come from
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. charge — in control
  8. content — happy
  9. present — a gift
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. club — for golf
  13. pop — soda
  14. charge — a price
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. pop — to visit
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. chair — a leader
  19. charge — electricity
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. content — the amount
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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