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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — after costs
  4. wake — a trail
  5. court — of law
  6. charge — electricity
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. charge — in control
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — of a king
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. net — for catching
  13. craft — a skill
  14. court — for sport
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. craft — boats
  17. net — in sport
  18. craft — a handicraft

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