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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 120 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: arm · charge · row · rest · degree · march · fall · club

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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 — electricity
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. row — to paddle
  4. club — a group
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rest — a break
  7. club — for golf
  8. rest — what's left
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. row — a line
  11. fall — to drop
  12. charge — in control
  13. fall — to drop
  14. charge — a price
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. degree — an amount
  17. fall — the season
  18. march — the month
  19. degree — from a university
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. march — music
  23. degree — temperature
  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