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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. court — of a king
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. court — of law
  7. shower — to wash
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. shower — rain
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. face — to confront
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. object — a thing
  20. face — part of the head
  21. object — to protest
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. court — for sport
  24. face — to point toward

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