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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: clip · racket · pop · chair · saw · charge · court · hand

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. court — of a king
  4. pop — soda
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — to cut
  8. charge — in control
  9. saw — the tool
  10. charge — a price
  11. court — for sport
  12. clip — a video
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. court — of law
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chair — a leader
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pop — to visit
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. charge — electricity
  21. hand — in cards
  22. clip — for paper
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — help

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