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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bear — the animal
  4. fine — high quality
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. court — of law
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. court — of a king
  16. saw — the tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. saw — the tool
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fine — all right
  22. court — for sport
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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