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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. can — a tin
  4. game — a match
  5. court — for sport
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. can — a tin
  8. court — of a king
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bore — to tire
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. court — of law
  16. march — the month
  17. bore — to drill
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. wind — moving air
  21. march — music
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. march — the month

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