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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. mine — for digging
  5. fall — the season
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. present — a gift
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fall — to drop
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. branch — a division
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. present — the time now
  21. stock — goods
  22. present — there
  23. court — of a king
  24. calf — of the leg

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