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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: charge · court · arm · band · pass · tube · lash · club

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  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. court — of law
  3. tube — the underground
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — for sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. club — for golf
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. band — a ring
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. tube — a container
  13. court — of a king
  14. charge — in control
  15. club — a group
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. band — a music group
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. tube — in a tire
  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