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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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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stand — to bear
  5. charge — a price
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bound — tied together
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. prune — to trim
  12. capital — money
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. charge — in control
  15. capital — a city
  16. bound — certain
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bound — obliged
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. club — for dancing
  21. charge — electricity
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. cold — an illness
  24. cold — the Cold War

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