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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. lie — to recline
  4. charge — in control
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. charge — electricity
  7. spell — letters
  8. track — a song
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. track — a path
  11. spell — magic
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. spell — a short time
  14. track — to keep track
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. court — for sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. squash — the sport
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — of a king
  24. degree — temperature

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