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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · hide · chair · bat · branch · court · club · dip

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. court — of a king
  3. charge — a price
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. charge — in control
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. club — for golf
  12. court — of law
  13. chair — a leader
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. charge — electricity
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bat — the animal
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. court — for sport
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. branch — a division
  23. club — for dancing
  24. hide — animal skin

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