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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. shower — rain
  3. ball — a great time
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — of law
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. court — for sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. court — of a king
  11. ball — a dance
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. rule — government
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — a phone
  19. rule — a law
  20. charge — in control
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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