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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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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bowl — a football final

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