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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bulb — for light
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. saw — the tool
  6. charge — in control
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. mine — for digging
  12. object — a thing
  13. object — an aim
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. court — of law
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. object — to protest
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bulb — for light
  24. saw — the tool

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