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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.

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: charge · pitcher · cell · ground · arm · racket · dip · spring

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. charge — a price
  5. ground — a position
  6. spring — a coil
  7. cell — a phone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. charge — in control
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. ground — the earth
  13. spring — of water
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spring — the season
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. ground — crushed
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. cell — in biology
  23. dip — to sink
  24. arm — part of the body

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