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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. object — an aim
  3. court — of law
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. charge — a price
  6. present — there
  7. craft — a skill
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. charge — electricity
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. object — a thing
  12. object — to protest
  13. field — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. craft — boats
  16. charge — in control
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — farmland
  19. craft — a handicraft
  20. rush — hurry
  21. present — a gift
  22. present — the time now
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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