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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — a position
  4. court — of law
  5. bat — the animal
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. key — for a lock
  9. key — in music
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. fork — in a road
  13. key — the most important part
  14. charge — a price
  15. pop — music
  16. charge — in control
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. pop — soda
  19. court — for sport
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pop — to visit
  24. ground — the earth

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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