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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 116 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: court · racket · game · mine · ball · charge · pitch · rule

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ball — a dance
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. pitch — completely
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — of law
  10. rule — government
  11. rule — a law
  12. court — of a king
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mine — for digging
  21. game — wild animals
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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