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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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Word bank
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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: field · arm · charge · trunk · march · rule · court · rush

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. march — the month
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. charge — in control
  7. rule — government
  8. court — of a king
  9. field — farmland
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. rule — a law
  12. charge — electricity
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — a subject
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. charge — a price
  17. court — of law
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. march — music
  21. march — the month
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — hurry
  24. trunk — of a car

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