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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: racket · mate · scale · charge · lean · court · capital · roll

  1. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. court — of law
  3. charge — electricity
  4. mate — a partner
  5. capital — a city
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — in control
  9. capital — money
  10. roll — a cake
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. court — for sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. roll — a list
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mate — to breed
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. scale — size or range
  21. capital — a big letter
  22. mate — a friend
  23. court — of a king
  24. scale — in music

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