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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: stick · clip · pitcher · court · can · shower · season · charge

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. court — for sport
  8. season — of the year
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. can — a tin
  11. clip — for paper
  12. court — of law
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. can — a tin
  15. shower — rain
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. charge — in control
  19. clip — to cut
  20. charge — a price
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. season — in sport
  23. clip — a video
  24. can — to be able to

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