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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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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: tear · charge · cabinet · pit · racket · pop · court · stick

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. charge — in control
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. charge — electricity
  5. pop — music
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. tear — to rip
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pop — soda
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. charge — a price
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. tear — from crying
  18. court — for sport
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. tear — from crying
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pit — a hole
  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