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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: mate · charge · band · club · bat · pound · rush · present

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. mate — to breed
  7. present — the time now
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. present — there
  12. mate — a friend
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. band — a music group
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. club — a group
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. present — a gift
  20. band — a ring
  21. pound — a weight
  22. club — for golf
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. charge — in control

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