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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: sharp · prune · dip · charge · last · nail · club · bass

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bass — low music
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. club — for dancing
  7. last — finally
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. charge — in control
  10. bass — the fish
  11. dip — to sink
  12. sharp — clever
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. last — to go on
  17. charge — a price
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. last — final
  22. club — a group
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. prune — to trim

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