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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. cap — of ice
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. ball — a dance
  8. mug — a face
  9. mug — a cup
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — for sport
  15. court — of law
  16. mug — to rob
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. foot — a measure
  19. court — of a king
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. cap — a hat
  23. scale — size or range
  24. cap — a lid

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