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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — to play on
  5. court — of law
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. swing — in golf
  12. spring — of water
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. current — happening now
  15. charge — in control
  16. charge — electricity
  17. current — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. court — of a king
  20. spring — a coil
  21. swing — music
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. current — electric
  24. charge — a price

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