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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. court — for sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. charge — a price
  5. craft — boats
  6. charge — electricity
  7. shower — rain
  8. root — the cause
  9. file — a line of people
  10. root — of a word
  11. bound — certain
  12. craft — a skill
  13. court — of law
  14. last — final
  15. file — a tool
  16. shower — to wash
  17. bound — tied together
  18. file — a document
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. root — of a plant
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — finally
  23. bound — obliged
  24. charge — in control

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