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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. court — for sport
  4. cap — of ice
  5. court — of law
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — of water
  8. court — of a king
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. fall — to drop
  11. fall — to drop
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — happy
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. content — the amount
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. fall — the season
  22. cap — a hat
  23. track — a path
  24. content — videos and posts

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