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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: bass · mug · clip · pound · court · charge · cap · spell

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. clip — for paper
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bass — low music
  5. cap — of ice
  6. charge — a price
  7. court — of a king
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mug — a cup
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — for sport
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. charge — electricity
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mug — to rob
  16. clip — to cut
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. charge — in control
  19. bass — the fish
  20. clip — a video
  21. mug — a face
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — magic
  24. pound — to hit hard

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