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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. charge — electricity
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. saw — the tool
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. pound — a weight
  10. club — a group
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. charge — in control
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. saw — the tool
  19. charge — a price
  20. branch — a division
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. club — for dancing

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