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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. charge — in control
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. rest — a break
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rest — what's left
  7. ball — a great time
  8. sharp — clever
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. court — of a king
  12. wound — an injury
  13. court — of law
  14. ball — a dance
  15. charge — a price
  16. court — for sport
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. shower — rain
  19. charge — electricity
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. rest — what's left
  22. game — a match
  23. wound — an injury
  24. shower — to wash

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