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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. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. season — of the year
  4. suit — clothes
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. suit — to fit
  7. court — of law
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. land — to come down
  10. court — for sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — electricity
  14. land — a country
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. sharp — clever
  18. season — in sport
  19. charge — a price
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. charge — in control
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. sharp — with an edge

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