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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rule — government
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. pass — a permit
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. charge — in control
  7. charge — electricity
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. charge — a price
  11. spring — the season
  12. court — of law
  13. bass — low music
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of a king
  16. game — a match
  17. game — wild animals
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bass — the fish
  20. spring — of water
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. toast — bread
  23. spring — a coil
  24. rule — a law

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