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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. ball — a dance
  2. bound — tied together
  3. court — for sport
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. court — of law
  6. court — of a king
  7. staff — a stick
  8. bound — obliged
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. staff — employees
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. ball — a great time
  13. field — for sport
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — employees
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bound — certain
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. field — farmland
  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