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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: patient · charge · pit · club · can · racket · cold · land

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. can — a tin
  3. land — ground
  4. cold — an illness
  5. club — for golf
  6. charge — a price
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. club — for dancing
  11. land — a country
  12. pit — in a race
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. charge — in control
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cold — not warm
  18. land — to come down
  19. can — a tin
  20. charge — electricity
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. pit — a hole
  24. can — to be able to

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