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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. ball — a great time
  3. kick — in football
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. prune — to trim
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. prune — to trim
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. field — a subject
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. ball — a dance
  15. field — for sport
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a music group
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. field — farmland
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. fan — a supporter

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