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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wound · ground · game · toast · mate · court · rule · charge

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rule — government
  4. charge — electricity
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. court — of a king
  7. ground — crushed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — a match
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mate — to breed
  13. ground — a position
  14. rule — a law
  15. court — for sport
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — of law
  20. charge — a price
  21. mate — a partner
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. charge — in control
  24. ground — the earth

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