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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 116 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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. current — electric
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. track — a path
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. track — a song
  14. court — of a king
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. current — of water
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bark — to shout
  22. current — happening now
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. track — to keep track

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