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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a great time
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. can — a tin
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. face — to confront
  7. perch — the fish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. file — a line of people
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. face — part of the head
  12. can — a tin
  13. court — of a king
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. face — to point toward
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. file — a tool
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. file — a document
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. can — to be able to
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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