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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. charge — a price
  5. present — the time now
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. charge — in control
  8. wake — a trail
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in biology
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. cell — a phone
  13. charge — electricity
  14. last — final
  15. present — there
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. last — finally
  20. court — of law
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. last — to go on

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