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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to sink
  4. shower — rain
  5. land — ground
  6. land — a country
  7. board — a committee
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. court — of a king
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. tube — the underground
  12. board — to get on
  13. court — of law
  14. land — to come down
  15. shower — to wash
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ball — a great time
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. tube — a container
  23. ball — a dance
  24. court — for sport

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