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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: charge · vault · cold · ruler · row · court

  1. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. 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. row — a quarrel
  2. charge — a price
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. cold — not warm
  6. row — to paddle
  7. court — for sport
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cold — an illness
  10. charge — electricity
  11. court — of law
  12. charge — in control
  13. row — a line
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. court — of a king
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. 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