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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · net · scale · rash · land · squash · present · charge

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. squash — to crush
  3. net — for catching
  4. court — of law
  5. rash — a series
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. net — after costs
  8. court — of a king
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. charge — a price
  11. land — to come down
  12. present — the time now
  13. charge — electricity
  14. net — in sport
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. scale — size or range
  18. land — ground
  19. squash — the sport
  20. rash — hasty
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. charge — in control
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — in music

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