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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 · scale · current · suit · arm · toast · bulb · wound

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. scale — size or range
  5. suit — in cards
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — clothes
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. current — electric
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. wound — an injury
  15. court — for sport
  16. current — happening now
  17. toast — bread
  18. current — of water
  19. bulb — for light
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. scale — in music
  23. court — of a king
  24. scale — for weighing

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