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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 120 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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bear — the animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. current — electric
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. firm — decided
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. firm — steady
  11. court — for sport
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. band — a ring
  14. bear — the animal
  15. race — humankind
  16. court — of law
  17. race — the arms race
  18. current — of water
  19. current — happening now
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. firm — a company
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. band — a music group

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