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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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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. court — for sport
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fine — all right
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — high quality
  18. rash — a series
  19. rush — hurry
  20. fall — to drop
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. band — a music group
  24. court — of a king

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