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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: game · wound · ball · rock · fan · rush · charge · mark

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. ball — a dance
  3. rock — music
  4. charge — electricity
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rock — a stone
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. mark — a trace
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. game — a match
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mark — a grade
  23. charge — in control
  24. game — wild animals

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