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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. charge — a price
  3. present — a gift
  4. chest — a box
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. press — to push
  7. track — a path
  8. present — the time now
  9. club — for dancing
  10. craft — boats
  11. track — a song
  12. charge — electricity
  13. craft — a skill
  14. track — to keep track
  15. charge — in control
  16. club — a group
  17. present — there
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bark — to shout
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. press — newspapers
  23. chest — of your body
  24. press — a publisher

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