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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 · pass · root · court · land · wind · cap · charge

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. wind — moving air
  3. charge — electricity
  4. land — to come down
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — for sport
  7. root — of a word
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. charge — in control
  12. mug — a cup
  13. court — of law
  14. cap — of ice
  15. land — ground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. wind — moving air
  18. cap — a hat
  19. mug — a face
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — a country
  22. pass — a permit
  23. root — the cause
  24. wind — to turn a key

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