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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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Word bank
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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. root — the cause
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. content — happy
  12. court — of a king
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. court — of law
  16. court — for sport
  17. root — of a plant
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kick — in football
  20. root — of a word
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. pass — to spend time

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