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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. face — to confront
  3. bark — to shout
  4. court — for sport
  5. sharp — clever
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. face — part of the head
  14. court — of law
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. lean — to bend
  18. face — to point toward
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. squash — to crush
  24. lean — thin

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