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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 124 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — electricity
  3. court — of law
  4. charge — a price
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. cue — for pool
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. kid — to tease
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. file — a line of people
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. cue — a signal
  13. file — a tool
  14. court — for sport
  15. kid — child
  16. cue — a hint
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. file — a document
  21. pound — a weight
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. charge — in control
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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