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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: charge · wake · court · chest · can · mate · jam · race

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. can — a tin
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. race — a contest
  7. mate — a partner
  8. court — of law
  9. can — to be able to
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. race — humankind
  14. can — a tin
  15. mate — to breed
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. court — of a king
  19. wake — a trail
  20. chest — of your body
  21. race — the arms race
  22. charge — a price
  23. charge — in control
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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