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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. charge — a price
  5. degree — temperature
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — for sport
  9. charge — electricity
  10. court — of law
  11. charge — in control
  12. root — of a plant
  13. root — of a word
  14. court — of a king
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. degree — from a university
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. degree — an amount
  24. root — the cause

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