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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. pop — music
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. squash — the sport
  8. charge — in control
  9. squash — to crush
  10. charge — a price
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. court — of law
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. pop — soda
  16. court — of a king
  17. pop — to visit
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. court — for sport
  21. charge — electricity
  22. file — a tool
  23. fine — high quality
  24. wake — a trail

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