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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: charge · bulb · court · object · temple · chip · cold · wave

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. charge — a price
  4. charge — in control
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. charge — electricity
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. object — a thing
  11. bulb — for light
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. chip — to eat
  21. court — for sport
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. temple — a place of worship

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