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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: lean · charge · mark · pass · club · fork · bat · date

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bat — the animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. charge — in control
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. club — for dancing
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mark — a grade
  15. pass — a permit
  16. lean — thin
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. date — the fruit
  19. charge — a price
  20. lean — to bend
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. fork — in a road
  24. mark — a trace

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