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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: mug · court · club · ground · sharp · bowl · mark · charge

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mug — a face
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for golf
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. court — of law
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. charge — a price
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. ground — the earth
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mug — a cup
  14. charge — electricity
  15. sharp — clever
  16. court — for sport
  17. mug — to rob
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. ground — a position
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. charge — in control
  22. club — a group
  23. court — of a king
  24. mark — a grade

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