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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
468
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: charge · stick · court · wave · season · rash · pitcher · bound

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. bound — tied together
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — hasty
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bound — obliged
  11. charge — a price
  12. rash — a series
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — of the year
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. season — in sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. charge — in control
  23. court — of a king
  24. bound — certain

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