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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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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: game · chair · club · charge · can · pop · clip · chest

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. club — a group
  3. pop — soda
  4. clip — a video
  5. pop — to visit
  6. chest — a box
  7. can — a tin
  8. clip — to cut
  9. charge — in control
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. clip — for paper
  12. club — for golf
  13. game — a match
  14. chair — a leader
  15. club — for dancing
  16. chest — of your body
  17. can — a tin
  18. charge — a price
  19. pop — music
  20. chest — of your body
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — wild animals

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