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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: fork · racket · bound · charge · club · foot · cabinet · stick

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  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. charge — a price
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. club — a group
  7. charge — in control
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. club — for golf
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. bound — obliged
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. foot — a measure
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bound — tied together
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. bound — certain
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. cabinet — ministers
  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