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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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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: face · rest · bass · charge · drill · ball · prune · court

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. drill — the tool
  5. prune — to trim
  6. ball — a great time
  7. charge — in control
  8. rest — what's left
  9. face — part of the head
  10. court — of law
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — of a king
  14. drill — army training
  15. prune — to trim
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. face — to confront
  18. face — to point toward
  19. ball — a dance
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ball — a round shape

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