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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. march — music
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — of a king
  5. key — in music
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. charge — in control
  8. court — for sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — a hole
  11. charge — a price
  12. march — the month
  13. shower — to wash
  14. plane — a tool
  15. shower — rain
  16. key — the most important part
  17. pit — in a race
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. key — for a lock
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. march — the month
  22. court — of law
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. date — the fruit

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