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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 120 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · rule · cue · bear · chest · racket

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. 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 — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. bear — the animal
  4. chest — a box
  5. bear — the animal
  6. chest — of your body
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cue — a hint
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. rule — a law
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. chest — of your body
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. cue — a signal
  18. 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