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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: stand · charge · court · scale · date · cold · mug · can

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of a king
  3. charge — a price
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. scale — size or range
  6. can — to be able to
  7. mug — a face
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. stand — to bear
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. can — a tin
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cold — an illness
  16. mug — a cup
  17. court — for sport
  18. scale — in music
  19. charge — in control
  20. court — of law
  21. can — a tin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. charge — electricity

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