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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. lie — to recline
  3. court — of a king
  4. race — the arms race
  5. object — a thing
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. content — happy
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. object — an aim
  12. bark — to shout
  13. race — humankind
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. content — the amount
  16. race — a contest
  17. object — to protest
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — of law
  20. key — the most important part
  21. key — for a lock
  22. key — in music
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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