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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — in control
  3. drill — a practice
  4. ball — a great time
  5. pop — to visit
  6. drill — army training
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pop — soda
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — of law
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. wind — moving air
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. wind — moving air
  17. pass — a permit
  18. band — a music group
  19. pop — music
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. court — for sport
  23. charge — a price
  24. pass — to spend time

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