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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ball — a great time
  3. charge — in control
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. bat — the animal
  12. roll — a cake
  13. charge — electricity
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. roll — a list
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. ball — a dance

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