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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: bear · court · race · hide · charge · wound · fan · fine

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. bear — the animal
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. court — for sport
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. court — of law
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. wound — an injury
  10. race — the arms race
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. race — a contest
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fine — all right
  17. court — of a king
  18. race — humankind
  19. wound — an injury
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. bear — the animal
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bear — to put up with

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