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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.

Make a worksheet

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: rash · charge · cap · file · bat · court · stick · ball

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. rash — hasty
  4. charge — in control
  5. court — of law
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. cap — a hat
  9. court — of a king
  10. file — a tool
  11. charge — a price
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. charge — electricity
  15. file — a document
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. file — a line of people
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. cap — of ice
  20. court — for sport
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. rash — a series
  24. bat — the animal

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