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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 120 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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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: bark · row · charge · scale · file · pitcher · pop · court

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — for sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. row — a line
  7. file — a tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. charge — in control
  10. file — a document
  11. scale — size or range
  12. court — of law
  13. bark — to shout
  14. pop — music
  15. file — a line of people
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pop — soda
  18. charge — electricity
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. pop — to visit
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. scale — in music

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