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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. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. court — for sport
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. charge — a price
  6. bank — of a river
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — clever
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bank — for money
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. kid — child
  14. charge — in control
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. court — of a king
  17. kid — to tease
  18. bank — for money
  19. cell — a phone
  20. cell — in biology
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. lean — to bend
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. charge — electricity

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