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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 116 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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. court — of law
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mark — a grade
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. charge — a price
  7. mark — a trace
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. bear — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. branch — a division
  17. hand — help
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bear — the animal
  22. tube — a container
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. charge — in control

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