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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: rock · kid · bound · charge · racket · spring · pitcher · chair

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. chair — a leader
  3. charge — in control
  4. bound — tied together
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — a stone
  7. charge — a price
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. spring — a coil
  13. kid — to tease
  14. spring — the season
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. kid — child
  17. bound — obliged
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spring — of water
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. charge — electricity
  24. chair — to sit on

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