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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. ground — the earth
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. fine — high quality
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — all right
  8. ground — crushed
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. perch — the fish
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ground — a position
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. bass — low music
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. fork — in a road
  22. court — of a king
  23. kick — in football
  24. perch — for a bird

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