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

Word bank: ground · fork · club · branch · chest · toast · pop · pit

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. chest — of your body
  5. pit — in a race
  6. ground — the earth
  7. chest — of your body
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. ground — a position
  11. fork — in a road
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. ground — crushed
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. pop — soda
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. toast — bread
  23. branch — a division
  24. pit — a hole

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