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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 carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — a tool
  2. mug — a face
  3. track — a song
  4. court — of law
  5. charge — a price
  6. court — of a king
  7. track — to keep track
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mug — to rob
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. chest — of your body
  12. race — humankind
  13. charge — electricity
  14. race — a contest
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. chest — a box
  19. court — for sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. charge — in control
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. track — a path
  24. race — the arms race

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