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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: mate · court · charge · suit · wake · plane · cold · shower

  1. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. charge — electricity
  4. court — of law
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. suit — in cards
  7. mate — to breed
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. court — for sport
  10. cold — not warm
  11. court — of a king
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. shower — rain
  15. shower — to wash
  16. mate — a friend
  17. plane — a tool
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. charge — a price
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. cold — an illness
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. wake — a trail

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