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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: bulb · net · row · club · charge · rush · content · pitcher

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. club — for dancing
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. row — a line
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rush — hurry
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. charge — in control
  12. club — for golf
  13. content — happy
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. club — a group
  18. content — the amount
  19. net — in sport
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — to paddle
  22. charge — a price
  23. net — for catching
  24. charge — electricity

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