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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. march — music
  4. mine — for digging
  5. march — the month
  6. chest — of your body
  7. current — electric
  8. chest — of your body
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. chest — a box
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — of water
  17. march — the month
  18. court — of law
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. current — happening now
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. court — for sport

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