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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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Word bank
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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: hand · mug · stand · net · game · charge · roll · lean

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. mug — a face
  4. game — a match
  5. stand — to bear
  6. net — after costs
  7. game — wild animals
  8. charge — in control
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — help
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mug — to rob
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a cake
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. mug — a cup
  19. roll — a list
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. net — for catching
  22. charge — a price
  23. lean — thin
  24. charge — electricity

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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