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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. court — for sport
  3. mate — a partner
  4. club — for dancing
  5. mate — a friend
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. club — for golf
  10. kick — in football
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. tube — the underground
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. club — a group
  17. mate — to breed
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. court — of law
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. tube — a container
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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