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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. court — of a king
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. deal — to handle
  5. band — a music group
  6. ball — a great time
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. court — for sport
  11. ball — a dance
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. band — a ring
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. last — finally
  20. court — of law
  21. last — to go on
  22. fork — in a road
  23. last — final
  24. deal — an agreement

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