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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rash — hasty
  4. capital — money
  5. court — of a king
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. court — for sport
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. bear — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ball — a great time
  15. rash — a series
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. capital — a city
  20. court — of law
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. ruler — for measuring

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