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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: kid · charge · stand · spring · fork · court · net · nail

  1. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. net — after costs
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. kid — to tease
  5. charge — a price
  6. spring — the season
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. spring — a coil
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. court — for sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — of law
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. net — in sport
  18. charge — electricity
  19. kid — child
  20. charge — in control
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. spring — of water
  24. net — for catching

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