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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.

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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: charge · vault · court · season · ruler · mate · bound · kick

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mate — a partner
  3. season — in sport
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mate — a friend
  8. bound — certain
  9. vault — a safe
  10. bound — tied together
  11. court — for sport
  12. charge — a price
  13. bound — obliged
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. court — of law
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. mate — to breed
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of a king
  22. charge — in control
  23. kick — in football
  24. ruler — for measuring

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