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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. kick — in football
  6. court — for sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — of law
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. shower — to wash
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. ground — crushed
  16. shower — rain
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. ground — a position
  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