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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — in football
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. clip — for paper
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. court — for sport
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. clip — to cut
  16. clip — a video
  17. court — of law
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. patient — a sick person

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