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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: ball · racket · charge · chair · jam · mug · mate · last

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. mate — a friend
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. ball — a dance
  5. mate — a partner
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. mate — to breed
  8. last — to go on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. mug — a face
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. charge — electricity
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. last — finally
  18. charge — in control
  19. ball — a great time
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. mug — to rob
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. last — final

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