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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. land — to come down
  5. court — for sport
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — of a king
  9. land — a country
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. bore — to drill
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. land — ground
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. band — a ring
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bore — to tire

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