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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: wake · charge · game · racket · pop · pitcher · arm · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — to come down
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. land — ground
  8. pop — soda
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. wake — a trail
  12. game — wild animals
  13. charge — a price
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. game — a match
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pop — music
  23. charge — electricity
  24. charge — in control

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