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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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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: key · drill · tear · bay · court · pitcher · charge · club

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. key — in music
  3. tear — from crying
  4. tear — from crying
  5. charge — electricity
  6. key — for a lock
  7. key — the most important part
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. club — for golf
  11. court — for sport
  12. tear — to rip
  13. drill — the tool
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — army training
  18. court — of a king
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. court — of law
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — a price

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