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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pop — soda
  4. court — of law
  5. clip — to cut
  6. court — for sport
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. clip — a video
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pop — music
  14. rock — music
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. hand — in cards
  19. charge — in control
  20. rock — a stone
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. hand — help
  24. clip — for paper

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