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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 120 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: cap · rash · sharp · object · row · club · charge · bat

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. cap — a lid
  3. club — for dancing
  4. row — to paddle
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cap — of ice
  10. object — a thing
  11. club — a group
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cap — a hat
  14. rash — a series
  15. row — a line
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. charge — in control
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. object — to protest
  22. club — for golf
  23. charge — a price
  24. bat — in an idiom

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