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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. court — for sport
  5. wake — a trail
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rash — a series
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. court — of law
  16. bark — to shout
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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