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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — electricity
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. court — of law
  5. charge — in control
  6. game — wild animals
  7. cue — for pool
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. court — for sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. charge — a price
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. ball — a dance
  15. key — in music
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. court — of a king
  19. ball — a great time
  20. game — a match
  21. cue — a hint
  22. key — for a lock
  23. plane — a tool
  24. key — the most important part

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