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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: hand · bat · cue · rash · pop · stick · charge · bay

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. pop — soda
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. charge — a price
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cue — a signal
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cue — for pool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. hand — in cards
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — a series
  22. hand — help
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. charge — in control

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