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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: stick · mug · charge · court · ground · pop · face · tube

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. mug — to rob
  3. charge — electricity
  4. face — to point toward
  5. court — of a king
  6. mug — a cup
  7. court — of law
  8. pop — music
  9. tube — a container
  10. court — for sport
  11. ground — a position
  12. charge — a price
  13. pop — soda
  14. face — part of the head
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. tube — the underground
  17. ground — the earth
  18. charge — in control
  19. mug — a face
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ground — crushed
  22. face — to confront
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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