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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. bulb — for light
  4. court — of a king
  5. bulb — for light
  6. charge — in control
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. track — a path
  14. court — of law
  15. track — a song
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — for sport
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. charge — electricity
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. track — to keep track

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