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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: racket · sharp · fan · kid · charge · cue · suit · bat

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. suit — in cards
  3. charge — a price
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. charge — in control
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. sharp — clever
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — the animal
  14. kid — child
  15. suit — clothes
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cue — a hint
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cue — a signal
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. suit — to fit
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. racket — for tennis

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