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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. court — for sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of law
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. can — a tin
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rush — hurry
  14. wound — an injury
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. charge — in control
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — a price
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. cold — an illness

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