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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. court — for sport
  7. wind — moving air
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. court — of a king
  11. key — in music
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. key — the most important part
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — a price
  16. band — a music group
  17. bat — the animal
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rash — hasty
  20. charge — electricity
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. band — a ring

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