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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. scale — size or range
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. stock — shares
  5. court — of law
  6. bear — the animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. wound — an injury
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. court — of a king
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bear — the animal
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. wound — an injury
  21. stock — goods
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. scale — in music

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