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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 120 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: deal · fine · cell · mine · court · charge · prune · track

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mine — for digging
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. prune — to trim
  6. court — for sport
  7. charge — a price
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. fine — all right
  12. cell — in biology
  13. court — of law
  14. court — of a king
  15. track — a path
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. prune — to trim
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. charge — electricity
  20. track — a song
  21. charge — in control
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. cell — a phone

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