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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. charge — a price
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. race — humankind
  5. club — for dancing
  6. race — a contest
  7. club — a group
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. club — for golf
  10. race — the arms race
  11. season — of the year
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. deal — to handle
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bat — the animal
  20. field — for sport
  21. season — in sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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