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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: court · nail · scale · mouse · bear · stick · current · race

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. race — a contest
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. scale — size or range
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. court — for sport
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. court — of law
  17. race — humankind
  18. race — the arms race
  19. current — happening now
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. bear — the animal
  23. scale — in music
  24. bear — the animal

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