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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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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. club — a group
  3. track — to keep track
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — the animal
  6. wound — an injury
  7. charge — electricity
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. ball — a dance
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. track — a path
  16. charge — a price
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. press — a publisher
  19. track — a song
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. press — to push
  22. club — for golf
  23. charge — in control
  24. press — newspapers

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