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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  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. land — a country
  2. charge — in control
  3. band — a music group
  4. cap — of ice
  5. court — for sport
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. court — of a king
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. land — ground
  12. cap — a hat
  13. court — of law
  14. land — to come down
  15. band — a ring
  16. rash — hasty
  17. charge — a price
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. charge — electricity
  20. cap — a lid
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. deal — an agreement
  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