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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 120 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: charge · pit · root · court · mark · spell · kid · ruler

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. court — of a king
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — for sport
  7. root — of a plant
  8. root — the cause
  9. pit — a hole
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mark — a trace
  12. court — of law
  13. kid — child
  14. charge — electricity
  15. spell — magic
  16. spell — letters
  17. root — of a word
  18. charge — a price
  19. mark — a grade
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pit — in a race
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. kid — to tease

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