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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. temple — side of the head
  3. court — for sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. ball — a dance
  6. lie — to recline
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. pop — to visit
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. pop — soda
  14. charge — a price
  15. shower — rain
  16. pop — music
  17. ball — a great time
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. court — of law
  22. shower — to wash
  23. court — of a king
  24. charge — in control

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