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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of law
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. bore — to drill
  7. cap — a hat
  8. sharp — clever
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. cap — a lid
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a ring
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. perch — the fish
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of a king
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. cap — of ice
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. bore — to tire
  24. perch — for a bird

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