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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. charge — electricity
  3. can — a tin
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. can — to be able to
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. court — of law
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. march — the month
  15. march — the month
  16. court — for sport
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. march — music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. charge — a price
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. can — a tin
  23. charge — in control
  24. rush — to hurry

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