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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. land — ground
  3. court — of law
  4. bulb — for light
  5. pop — soda
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. pop — to visit
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — happy
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — music
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. court — for sport

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