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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: root · mark · cell · charge · bat · file · cap · court

  1. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  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. file — a document
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. charge — in control
  4. court — of a king
  5. charge — a price
  6. cap — a hat
  7. court — of law
  8. bat — the animal
  9. mark — a trace
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. charge — electricity
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. cap — a lid
  15. cell — a phone
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — of a word
  18. file — a line of people
  19. root — the cause
  20. cap — of ice
  21. root — of a plant
  22. cell — in biology
  23. file — a tool
  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