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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. charge — a price
  3. last — to go on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. court — of law
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. cold — not warm
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. last — finally
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. court — of a king
  13. mine — for digging
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. charge — in control
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. charge — electricity
  19. cold — an illness
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. last — final
  23. court — for sport
  24. deal — to handle

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