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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. charge — in control
  3. pitch — completely
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. shower — to wash
  9. charge — electricity
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. prune — to trim
  12. charge — a price
  13. mate — a friend
  14. court — for sport
  15. mate — to breed
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. prune — to trim
  18. court — of a king
  19. fine — all right
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — high quality
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. shower — rain
  24. vault — a safe

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