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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 116 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — of a king
  3. charge — electricity
  4. charge — a price
  5. court — for sport
  6. bore — to drill
  7. charge — in control
  8. rash — hasty
  9. court — of law
  10. wind — moving air
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. land — ground
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. land — a country
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. rash — a series
  20. land — to come down
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bore — to tire
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wind — moving air

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