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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. net — after costs
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. capital — a city
  7. charge — electricity
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. ball — a great time
  10. capital — money
  11. ball — a dance
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — for catching
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rule — a law
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. temple — a place of worship

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