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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. track — a path
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. hand — help
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. charge — a price
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. last — to go on
  14. hand — in cards
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. track — a song
  18. scale — in music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. scale — size or range
  21. kid — child
  22. last — finally
  23. last — final
  24. charge — electricity

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