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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: charge · stem · swing · vault · club · lash · cold · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. swing — music
  4. club — for golf
  5. net — for catching
  6. charge — in control
  7. swing — to play on
  8. club — for dancing
  9. swing — in golf
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. net — after costs
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. cold — an illness
  15. cold — not warm
  16. charge — electricity
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. charge — a price
  21. club — a group
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. stem — to come from
  24. vault — a safe

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