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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cap · chair · wake · charge · bass · mouse · net

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. bass — low music
  2. club — for golf
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. wake — a trail
  6. net — after costs
  7. bass — the fish
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. charge — in control
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — electricity
  16. net — for catching
  17. chair — a leader
  18. charge — a price
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. club — a group
  22. cap — a hat
  23. net — in sport
  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