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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. shower — to wash
  3. club — for golf
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mark — a grade
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. charge — in control
  8. foot — a measure
  9. club — for dancing
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. court — of a king
  14. mark — a trace
  15. club — a group
  16. shower — rain
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. charge — a price
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. court — of law
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. court — for sport
  24. ruler — for measuring

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