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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: bat · content · squash · face · club · bound · charge · spring

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. club — for golf
  4. face — to point toward
  5. bound — tied together
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. spring — a coil
  9. spring — of water
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bound — obliged
  13. content — the amount
  14. club — a group
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bound — certain
  17. content — happy
  18. charge — in control
  19. bat — the animal
  20. charge — electricity
  21. face — part of the head
  22. club — for dancing
  23. face — to confront
  24. charge — a price

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