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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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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fork — in a road
  6. chair — a leader
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. can — to be able to
  9. charge — a price
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. content — the amount
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. court — of law
  20. charge — in control
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. content — happy
  24. can — a tin

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