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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 124 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: face · charge · trunk · race · fork · pound · jam · court

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. charge — electricity
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. fork — in a road
  12. charge — a price
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. race — the arms race
  15. charge — in control
  16. face — to confront
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. race — humankind
  19. face — part of the head
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. race — a contest
  22. face — to point toward
  23. court — of a king
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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