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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. tube — a container
  3. rash — a series
  4. toast — bread
  5. staff — employees
  6. court — of a king
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. tube — the underground
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. rash — hasty
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. staff — employees
  16. current — happening now
  17. staff — a stick
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. current — electric
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. court — of law
  24. current — of water

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