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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. object — a thing
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. march — the month
  8. object — to protest
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. court — of law
  12. object — an aim
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fork — in a road
  16. march — the month
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. trunk — of an elephant

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