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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. stand — to bear
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. cell — a phone
  14. hand — in cards
  15. track — to keep track
  16. court — for sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. track — a song
  20. hand — help
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. track — a path
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. court — of law

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