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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. court — of a king
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. charge — in control
  5. spring — the season
  6. mug — to rob
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. mug — a cup
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. court — for sport
  12. shower — rain
  13. vault — a safe
  14. spring — a coil
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. shower — to wash
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. rash — hasty
  20. court — of law
  21. mug — a face
  22. charge — electricity
  23. rash — a series
  24. spring — of water

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