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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. court — of law
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. court — for sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. content — happy
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. content — the amount
  9. prune — to trim
  10. suit — to fit
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. suit — in cards
  14. season — of the year
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. charge — a price
  17. saw — the tool
  18. court — of a king
  19. saw — the tool
  20. suit — clothes
  21. charge — in control
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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