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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  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. net — for catching
  2. court — for sport
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. net — after costs
  6. court — of a king
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. face — to confront
  15. net — in sport
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. ground — the earth
  19. face — to point toward
  20. kick — in football
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. ground — a position
  23. mine — for digging
  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