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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: spring · pop · club · charge · board · mate · rock · bat

  1. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. pop — to visit
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. charge — a price
  7. board — to get on
  8. charge — in control
  9. bat — the animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. mate — a friend
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. pop — music
  14. board — a committee
  15. pop — soda
  16. spring — the season
  17. spring — of water
  18. mate — to breed
  19. rock — a stone
  20. charge — electricity
  21. club — a group
  22. rock — music
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. club — for dancing

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