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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.

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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: rock · arm · sharp · court · can · charge · ground · hand

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. court — for sport
  3. rock — a stone
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. court — of a king
  6. can — to be able to
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — crushed
  9. can — a tin
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — of law
  12. charge — electricity
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. rock — music
  15. ground — the earth
  16. hand — help
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. hand — in cards
  20. can — a tin
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. sharp — clever

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