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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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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — farmland
  5. field — for sport
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — a contest
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. court — for sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. court — of a king
  17. field — a subject
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. race — humankind
  21. race — the arms race
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. patient — a sick person

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