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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 120 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — of a king
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. dip — to sink
  8. court — of law
  9. wake — a trail
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — for sport
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. present — the time now
  17. present — a gift
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. kick — in football
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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