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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. game — wild animals
  6. charge — electricity
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. court — for sport
  9. charge — in control
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pit — a hole
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. court — of a king
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mate — a partner
  18. game — a match
  19. mate — a friend
  20. court — of law
  21. wake — a trail
  22. charge — a price
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. mate — to breed

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