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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: charge · bowl · race · club · board · ground · safe · mine

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. charge — a price
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. mine — for digging
  6. race — a contest
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. ground — the earth
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. race — the arms race
  12. race — humankind
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. club — for golf
  16. charge — in control
  17. ground — crushed
  18. club — a group
  19. ground — a position
  20. board — to get on
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. club — for dancing
  23. board — a committee
  24. mine — belonging to me

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