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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. foot — a measure
  4. face — to confront
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. wind — moving air
  12. key — in music
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — part of the head
  16. key — the most important part
  17. key — for a lock
  18. court — for sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. face — to point toward
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. court — of law
  24. wake — a trail

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