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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. staff — employees
  4. stem — to come from
  5. staff — a stick
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. drill — army training
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. face — to point toward
  11. fine — high quality
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. face — part of the head
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. court — of law
  17. drill — a practice
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. face — to confront
  23. court — for sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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