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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. court — of a king
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. deal — to handle
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. court — for sport
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. toast — bread
  11. plane — a tool
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. can — a tin
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. can — to be able to
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. court — of law
  19. face — part of the head
  20. face — to point toward
  21. can — a tin
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — the animal
  24. face — to confront

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