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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — in control
  3. rash — hasty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. spring — the season
  7. spring — a coil
  8. spring — of water
  9. stock — goods
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. craft — a skill
  12. court — for sport
  13. ball — a dance
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. stock — shares
  17. court — of law
  18. craft — boats
  19. court — of a king
  20. rash — a series
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. charge — electricity

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