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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

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: court · hide · lie · charge · ruler · net · patient · mine

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. court — for sport
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. net — after costs
  5. patient — calm and waiting
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. lie — to recline
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. charge — electricity
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. net — for catching
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. net — in sport
  20. charge — a price
  21. court — of law
  22. charge — in control
  23. ruler — for measuring
  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