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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 · leaves · game · charge · last · staff · cabinet · trunk

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. staff — a stick
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. charge — in control
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. staff — employees
  8. game — a match
  9. charge — electricity
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. game — wild animals
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. last — final
  16. court — of a king
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. last — finally
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. court — of law
  21. charge — a price
  22. court — for sport
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. staff — employees

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