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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 120 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 did you ________________ them?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. charge — a price
  3. mine — for digging
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mug — a face
  6. root — of a word
  7. game — a match
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. court — of law
  12. lie — to recline
  13. root — the cause
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. game — wild animals
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. charge — in control
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. root — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pass — a permit
  24. court — for sport

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