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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.

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: court · cell · charge · bat · stock · lash · bulb · pit

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. pit — in a race
  3. court — for sport
  4. charge — in control
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. bulb — for light
  7. pit — a hole
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. stock — shares
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. cell — a phone
  13. stock — goods
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. court — of law
  17. cell — in biology
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. court — of a king
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. charge — a price
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bat — for baseball

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