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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: bat · object · drill · court · fork · charge · game · ball

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. drill — a practice
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. drill — army training
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. game — a match
  7. court — for sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bat — the animal
  10. charge — electricity
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — of a king
  13. game — wild animals
  14. object — an aim
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. object — to protest
  18. ball — a great time
  19. court — of law
  20. charge — in control
  21. object — a thing
  22. charge — a price
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. bat — in an idiom

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