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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.

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
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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: charge · court · temple · pitcher · wind · season · rest · safe

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rest — what's left
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. charge — electricity
  7. rest — what's left
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. court — of a king
  17. court — of law
  18. season — in sport
  19. rest — a break
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. charge — in control
  22. charge — a price
  23. season — of the year
  24. wind — moving air

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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