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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. rush — hurry
  7. charge — electricity
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. court — of a king
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. charge — a price
  13. game — wild animals
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. game — a match
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. can — to be able to
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of law
  20. court — for sport
  21. band — a ring
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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