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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  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. rule — government
  2. charge — a price
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. rule — a law
  5. court — of a king
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. shower — to wash
  14. track — a path
  15. charge — electricity
  16. snap — to click
  17. track — to keep track
  18. court — for sport
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. shower — rain
  21. bat — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. charge — in control
  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