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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 116 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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. court — of a king
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. club — for dancing
  6. club — for golf
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. court — for sport
  9. race — a contest
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. court — of law
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — a practice
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. race — the arms race
  20. drill — the tool
  21. face — to confront
  22. drill — army training
  23. race — humankind
  24. face — part of the head

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