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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. net — for catching
  4. foot — a measure
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. court — for sport
  7. bear — the animal
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. court — of a king
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. bear — the animal
  16. march — music
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. net — in sport
  21. plane — a tool
  22. march — the month
  23. net — after costs
  24. trunk — of a tree

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