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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. charge — electricity
  3. last — finally
  4. court — of law
  5. chest — a box
  6. root — of a word
  7. rule — government
  8. chest — of your body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. root — of a plant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. court — of a king
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. last — to go on
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. last — final
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. rule — a law
  23. charge — a price
  24. leaves — of a tree

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