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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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. charge — a price
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. degree — temperature
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. board — to get on
  10. capital — a city
  11. charge — in control
  12. club — for dancing
  13. board — a committee
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. degree — an amount
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. bark — to shout
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. charge — electricity
  21. capital — money
  22. foot — a measure
  23. degree — from a university
  24. board — a flat piece

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