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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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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: track · degree · court · charge · drill · perch · firm · cell

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. drill — the tool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. firm — decided
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. track — a song
  7. court — of law
  8. cell — in biology
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. court — of a king
  11. cell — a phone
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — army training
  14. firm — a company
  15. degree — temperature
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. drill — a practice
  19. degree — an amount
  20. court — for sport
  21. degree — from a university
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. track — a path
  24. firm — steady

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