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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 · mine · kid · charge · current · ball · shower · toast

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. charge — in control
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. court — of law
  5. ball — a dance
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. charge — a price
  8. ball — a great time
  9. shower — to wash
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. toast — bread
  12. kid — to tease
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. current — electric
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. kid — child
  21. shower — rain
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. charge — electricity
  24. court — of a king

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