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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. court — of law
  3. cell — in biology
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bear — the animal
  16. court — of a king
  17. stock — shares
  18. clip — for paper
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. court — for sport
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stock — goods
  24. pitcher — a jug

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