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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — for digging
  3. cap — a lid
  4. tear — to rip
  5. cue — a signal
  6. court — of a king
  7. cue — for pool
  8. court — for sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fork — in a road
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cue — a hint
  20. tear — from crying
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cap — a hat
  24. mine — an explosive

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