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

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. cue — a signal
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. charge — electricity
  6. court — of a king
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. mine — for digging
  9. charge — a price
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. net — for catching
  12. charge — in control
  13. court — of law
  14. cue — for pool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. court — for sport
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cell — a phone
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. net — in sport
  24. cell — in biology

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