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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 116 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 chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. court — for sport
  3. march — music
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. court — of law
  6. vault — a safe
  7. net — for catching
  8. court — of a king
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. charge — a price
  11. charge — electricity
  12. staff — employees
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — the month
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. march — the month
  19. rule — a law
  20. staff — employees
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. charge — in control
  23. rule — government
  24. staff — a stick

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