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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. charge — in control
  3. can — a tin
  4. charge — a price
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — for sport
  9. content — happy
  10. rule — government
  11. charge — electricity
  12. court — of law
  13. can — to be able to
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. toast — bread
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — of a king
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. content — the amount
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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