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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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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: court · track · race · fall · bark · dip · charge · lash

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. charge — electricity
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. court — of law
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bark — to shout
  7. fall — the season
  8. race — a contest
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. charge — in control
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. track — to keep track
  16. court — for sport
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. track — a song
  19. charge — a price
  20. track — a path
  21. race — the arms race
  22. race — humankind
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. lash — to lash out

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