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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. charge — a price
  3. snap — to click
  4. suit — clothes
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. charge — in control
  8. suit — to fit
  9. charge — electricity
  10. suit — in cards
  11. last — final
  12. row — a line
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. court — for sport
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. row — to paddle
  20. court — of law
  21. last — finally
  22. game — wild animals
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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