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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of law
  3. charge — a price
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. rash — a series
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — of a king
  9. pit — a hole
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. rash — hasty
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. drill — army training
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. cold — an illness
  20. kick — in football
  21. charge — in control
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. drill — a practice
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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