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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: can · fan · hand · land · charge · bark · season · court

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. can — to be able to
  5. court — of a king
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. charge — in control
  8. bark — to shout
  9. hand — help
  10. court — for sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. court — of law
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. charge — electricity
  16. can — a tin
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — a country
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. land — ground
  22. season — in sport
  23. hand — in cards
  24. can — a tin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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