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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
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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: wake · game · craft · court · land · charge · can · cold

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. can — a tin
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. charge — electricity
  5. court — of law
  6. wake — a trail
  7. land — ground
  8. cold — an illness
  9. game — a match
  10. cold — not warm
  11. game — wild animals
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — a country
  14. court — for sport
  15. craft — a skill
  16. charge — a price
  17. land — to come down
  18. court — of a king
  19. craft — boats
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. can — to be able to
  23. wake — before a funeral
  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