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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 · land · band · game · cabinet · club · sharp · wake

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. sharp — clever
  4. charge — a price
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. club — for dancing
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. wake — a trail
  11. land — ground
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a music group
  14. game — a match
  15. land — a country
  16. land — to come down
  17. band — a ring
  18. club — a group
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. game — wild animals
  22. charge — in control
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. club — for golf

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