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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. tear — to rip
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. club — for dancing
  8. tear — from crying
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — a price
  11. branch — a division
  12. club — for golf
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. charge — electricity
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. shower — to wash
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — a leader
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. saw — the tool
  23. shower — rain
  24. pitch — completely

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