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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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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 · swing · chair · charge · stick · bulb · vault · foot

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. foot — a measure
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. swing — in golf
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. swing — music
  10. charge — electricity
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. chair — a leader
  14. swing — to play on
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. charge — in control
  18. club — for golf
  19. vault — a safe
  20. club — a group
  21. charge — a price
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. chair — a professorship

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