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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. face — part of the head
  3. key — for a lock
  4. firm — a company
  5. race — humankind
  6. key — in music
  7. race — a contest
  8. face — to point toward
  9. wound — an injury
  10. court — of law
  11. object — to protest
  12. wound — an injury
  13. object — a thing
  14. object — an aim
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. firm — decided
  19. race — the arms race
  20. court — for sport
  21. key — the most important part
  22. face — to confront
  23. firm — steady
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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