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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. race — humankind
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. rash — a series
  8. sharp — clever
  9. race — the arms race
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. race — a contest
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. charge — in control
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. branch — a division
  19. court — of a king
  20. pitch — completely
  21. kick — in football
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. rash — hasty

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