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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 116 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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  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. cell — in a prison
  2. court — for sport
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. rock — music
  5. fall — to drop
  6. charge — in control
  7. bound — certain
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bound — obliged
  11. charge — a price
  12. court — of a king
  13. squash — the sport
  14. chip — for betting
  15. charge — electricity
  16. chip — to eat
  17. fall — the season
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cell — in biology
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — tied together
  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