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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: rush · court · charge · present · pitcher · wake · spell · hand

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — a short time
  6. hand — in cards
  7. rush — hurry
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. charge — in control
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. present — the time now
  13. court — for sport
  14. present — there
  15. wake — a trail
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — of law
  18. present — a gift
  19. spell — letters
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. court — of a king
  22. hand — help
  23. charge — a price
  24. rush — a thrill

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