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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — the sport
  3. charge — in control
  4. file — a document
  5. court — of a king
  6. file — a tool
  7. game — wild animals
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — to crush
  10. court — for sport
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. court — of law
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — a weight
  16. file — a line of people
  17. game — a match
  18. charge — a price
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rule — government
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. rule — a law
  23. season — in sport
  24. rule — to rule out

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