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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. rush — hurry
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. ball — a dance
  6. court — for sport
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. last — to go on
  10. charge — a price
  11. fall — to drop
  12. last — finally
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitch — completely
  16. charge — in control
  17. rock — music
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fall — to drop
  21. charge — electricity
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. court — of law
  24. last — final

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