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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 · ruler · face · spring · patient · game · craft · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. charge — a price
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. face — part of the head
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. spring — the season
  8. game — wild animals
  9. spring — a coil
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. charge — in control
  12. face — to confront
  13. craft — a skill
  14. craft — boats
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. face — to point toward
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. spring — of water
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. charge — electricity
  23. game — a match
  24. game — a kind of play

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