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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. drill — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. chip — for betting
  5. deal — to handle
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. chip — to eat
  10. charge — in control
  11. last — final
  12. drill — army training
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. last — finally
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. drill — a practice
  19. last — to go on
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. charge — electricity
  24. deal — an agreement

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