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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. field — a subject
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. chair — a leader
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cell — in biology
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. pass — a permit
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. field — farmland
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. club — for golf
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. field — for sport
  22. cell — a phone
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — a safe

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