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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: court · charge · leaves · lash · cap · game · file · bound

  1. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. file — a tool
  3. court — of law
  4. cap — of ice
  5. court — of a king
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. charge — in control
  8. court — for sport
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bound — certain
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. game — a match
  16. file — a line of people
  17. charge — electricity
  18. cap — a hat
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. bound — obliged
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. file — a document
  24. bound — tied together

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