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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — for sport
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. spring — a coil
  6. shower — rain
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mate — a friend
  11. mate — a partner
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. deal — to handle
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. spring — the season
  17. court — of a king
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. shower — to wash
  21. spring — of water
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mate — to breed

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