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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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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 · tube · bass · kid · cell · mouse · court · pit

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. court — for sport
  4. bass — low music
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — in biology
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — a price
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. charge — in control
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — of a king
  19. cell — a phone
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. tube — a container
  23. kid — to tease
  24. kid — child

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