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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. charge — in control
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. ground — the earth
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cold — not warm
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. charge — a price
  20. branch — a division
  21. club — for golf
  22. charge — electricity
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. branch — of a bank

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