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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. key — for a lock
  3. court — for sport
  4. charge — in control
  5. court — of law
  6. key — the most important part
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. drill — army training
  11. drill — the tool
  12. rash — a series
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. key — in music
  16. charge — electricity
  17. drill — a practice
  18. charge — a price
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. court — of a king
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pitch — completely
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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