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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. court — of law
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — for sport
  8. capital — a city
  9. rest — a break
  10. can — a tin
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mug — a cup
  14. can — to be able to
  15. court — of a king
  16. shower — to wash
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. capital — money
  21. can — a tin
  22. mug — a face
  23. shower — rain
  24. trunk — of a car

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