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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. charge — electricity
  3. fall — to drop
  4. court — of law
  5. charge — in control
  6. march — the month
  7. fall — the season
  8. court — for sport
  9. march — music
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — the month
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. court — of a king
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. shower — to wash
  18. tear — from crying
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — a safe
  21. fall — to drop
  22. shower — rain
  23. tear — to rip
  24. plane — a tool

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