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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: chest · degree · mate · pass · charge · saw · club · stem

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. saw — the tool
  3. mate — a friend
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. club — a group
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. charge — electricity
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stem — to come from
  11. degree — from a university
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pass — a permit
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — in control
  17. chest — of your body
  18. degree — an amount
  19. chest — of your body
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. chest — a box
  23. charge — a price
  24. degree — temperature

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