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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. net — after costs
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. court — of a king
  6. net — for catching
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. ball — a great time
  13. saw — the tool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. net — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ball — a dance
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. court — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kick — in football

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