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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. current — electric
  3. last — to go on
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. current — happening now
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. current — of water
  8. plane — a tool
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. chest — of your body
  13. band — a music group
  14. court — of law
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. chest — a box
  18. chest — of your body
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. band — a ring
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. court — for sport
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. arm — a part of something

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