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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — to tease
  3. wound — an injury
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fine — all right
  6. pitch — completely
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — of law
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. rest — a break
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. charge — a price
  14. bound — certain
  15. bound — tied together
  16. court — of a king
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. wound — an injury
  20. court — for sport
  21. bound — obliged
  22. rest — what's left
  23. charge — in control
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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