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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. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. court — of law
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. key — in music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. court — of a king
  8. ball — a dance
  9. clip — a video
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. key — the most important part
  12. court — for sport
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. staff — a stick
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — employees
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. key — for a lock
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. clip — to cut
  23. ball — a great time
  24. lash — to lash out

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