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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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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: club · pitcher · rash · charge · mate · net · bark · wound

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. charge — a price
  5. net — in sport
  6. mate — a friend
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mate — a partner
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. net — for catching
  14. charge — electricity
  15. rash — hasty
  16. wound — an injury
  17. net — after costs
  18. club — a group
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. rash — a series
  22. club — for golf
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mate — to breed

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