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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: wind · charge · court · race · stick · staff

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. wind — moving air
  3. court — of law
  4. staff — employees
  5. race — humankind
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. court — of a king
  9. race — the arms race
  10. charge — a price
  11. wind — moving air
  12. charge — electricity
  13. charge — in control
  14. staff — a stick
  15. race — a contest
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. staff — employees

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