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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. charge — electricity
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. charge — in control
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. clip — for paper
  10. bat — the animal
  11. clip — to cut
  12. root — the cause
  13. chair — a leader
  14. root — of a plant
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cue — a hint
  18. root — of a word
  19. cue — a signal
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. cue — for pool
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. clip — a video

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