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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 120 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
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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 · craft · charge · tear · board · bowl · land · leaves

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. charge — a price
  3. court — for sport
  4. craft — boats
  5. tear — to rip
  6. board — to get on
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. land — to come down
  9. charge — in control
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. land — ground
  13. court — of law
  14. craft — a skill
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. tear — from crying
  20. land — a country
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. court — of a king
  23. tear — from crying
  24. board — a committee

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