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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — of a king
  4. face — part of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. rest — a break
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. rest — what's left
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — a position
  13. face — to point toward
  14. court — for sport
  15. spring — the season
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. spring — of water
  18. ground — crushed
  19. spring — a coil
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rest — what's left
  23. face — to confront
  24. racket — for tennis

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