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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: mouse · mate · game · dip · club · tube · charge · land

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. land — to come down
  3. mate — a partner
  4. mate — to breed
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. land — ground
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. tube — a container
  10. game — a match
  11. dip — to sink
  12. mate — a friend
  13. club — for dancing
  14. club — a group
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. land — a country
  17. club — for golf
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. tube — the underground
  20. charge — a price
  21. charge — in control
  22. game — wild animals
  23. charge — electricity
  24. dip — a sauce

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