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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: pass · clip · court · craft · fall · charge · spring · leaves

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. craft — boats
  3. court — of a king
  4. fall — the season
  5. clip — for paper
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. clip — to cut
  8. spring — the season
  9. clip — a video
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. fall — to drop
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. charge — in control
  17. pass — a permit
  18. charge — electricity
  19. fall — to drop
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. charge — a price
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — of water
  24. craft — a skill

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