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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. court — for sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. content — the amount
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. court — of a king
  13. wind — moving air
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. toast — bread
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. content — happy
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. date — the fruit
  24. wind — to turn a key

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