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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. track — to keep track
  3. current — of water
  4. track — a path
  5. court — of law
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. field — for sport
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pop — to visit
  10. track — a song
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. field — a subject
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. stem — to come from
  19. current — happening now
  20. court — for sport
  21. current — electric
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. field — farmland

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