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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 124 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. court — of law
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. ball — a great time
  6. lean — to bend
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. court — of a king
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. court — for sport
  17. kick — in football
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. lean — thin
  23. ball — a dance
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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