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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chest — of your body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. current — electric
  5. shower — rain
  6. chest — of your body
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. current — of water
  15. current — happening now
  16. rule — a law
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. rule — government
  19. chest — a box
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. foot — a measure

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