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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. When was this ________________ built?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — of a king
  3. spring — a coil
  4. season — in sport
  5. squash — the sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. shower — rain
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. key — in music
  11. spring — the season
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — of law
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. spring — of water
  17. squash — to crush
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — the most important part
  20. season — of the year
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. court — for sport

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