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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bore — to tire
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. stem — to come from
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. court — of a king
  9. drill — army training
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. drill — a practice
  15. file — a document
  16. court — for sport
  17. bore — to drill
  18. drill — the tool
  19. file — a line of people
  20. court — of law
  21. charge — electricity
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. charge — in control

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