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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 116 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: firm · bear · court · charge · snap · fork · rest · saw

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. charge — in control
  3. charge — electricity
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. snap — to click
  6. fork — in a road
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rest — what's left
  9. charge — a price
  10. rest — a break
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bear — the animal
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — for sport
  17. firm — steady
  18. firm — decided
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. court — of law
  21. rest — what's left
  22. court — of a king
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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