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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  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. charge — electricity
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. ground — a position
  5. mate — to breed
  6. chest — a box
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — the earth
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. rash — a series
  12. charge — a price
  13. ground — crushed
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. chest — of your body
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mate — a partner
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. rash — hasty
  21. charge — in control
  22. court — for sport
  23. kick — in football
  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