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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 116 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. plane — a tool
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cap — of ice
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. club — a group
  8. swing — music
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. club — for dancing
  11. cap — a lid
  12. hand — in cards
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. cap — a hat
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — to play on
  18. swing — in golf
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — for sport
  24. club — for golf

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