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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. deal — to handle
  6. cap — a lid
  7. court — for sport
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. hand — in cards
  12. march — music
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. saw — the tool
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. march — the month
  22. march — the month
  23. saw — the tool
  24. court — of law

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