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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · fan · pit · chest · court · charge · drill · mug

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. pound — a weight
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of a king
  6. mug — a cup
  7. charge — a price
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — of law
  13. drill — army training
  14. mug — a face
  15. pit — a hole
  16. chest — of your body
  17. court — for sport
  18. mug — to rob
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. chest — a box
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. pit — in a race

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