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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. game — a match
  3. charge — a price
  4. board — to get on
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. court — of a king
  7. charge — electricity
  8. game — wild animals
  9. mate — a partner
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fork — in a road
  12. last — to go on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. board — a committee
  16. court — of law
  17. mate — a friend
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. mate — to breed
  20. last — finally
  21. charge — in control
  22. court — for sport
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. leaves — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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