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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: current · charge · mate · court · trunk · spring · race · scale

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. scale — size or range
  3. court — of law
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. current — electric
  6. spring — a coil
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. race — a contest
  9. spring — of water
  10. current — of water
  11. mate — to breed
  12. charge — in control
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. race — the arms race
  16. charge — electricity
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spring — the season
  19. race — humankind
  20. current — happening now
  21. mate — a partner
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. charge — a price
  24. scale — in music

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