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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: kid · jam · court · mine · bay · plane · charge · racket

  1. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. kid — to tease
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. court — for sport
  8. kid — child
  9. court — of law
  10. mine — for digging
  11. charge — a price
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. charge — in control
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. plane — a tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. charge — electricity

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