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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: charge · vault · tear · last · net · arm · deal · club

  1. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. tear — from crying
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. net — in sport
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. tear — to rip
  7. club — for golf
  8. tear — from crying
  9. net — after costs
  10. last — to go on
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. club — a group
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. net — for catching
  15. charge — electricity
  16. vault — a safe
  17. club — for dancing
  18. last — finally
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. charge — in control
  23. last — final
  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