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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. court — of a king
  3. scale — in music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. current — of water
  7. row — to paddle
  8. court — of law
  9. scale — size or range
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. lie — to recline
  12. row — a line
  13. race — a contest
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. current — happening now
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. race — humankind
  18. current — electric
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — for sport
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. race — the arms race
  24. lie — an untruth

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