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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 · season · hand · vault · game · rest

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. season — in sport
  3. charge — a price
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. charge — electricity
  6. season — of the year
  7. hand — in cards
  8. rest — a break
  9. game — a match
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. vault — a safe
  13. charge — in control
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — help
  17. game — wild animals
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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