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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: stand · bay · band · charge · sharp · court · cell · squash

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. squash — the sport
  3. stand — to bear
  4. sharp — clever
  5. cell — a phone
  6. charge — a price
  7. band — a ring
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of a king
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. cell — in biology
  17. charge — in control
  18. court — of law
  19. charge — electricity
  20. squash — to crush
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. band — a music group
  24. sharp — with an edge

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