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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: charge · racket · straw · cabinet · hand · cue · spring · court

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. court — for sport
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. charge — in control
  6. charge — a price
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — of a king
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. spring — the season
  11. cue — a signal
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — help
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. cue — for pool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. hand — in cards
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. court — of law

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