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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: court · face · nail · trunk · ball · tear

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. 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 a tree
  2. court — of law
  3. face — to point toward
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. tear — to rip
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ball — a dance
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — from crying
  12. face — part of the head
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. court — of a king
  17. face — to confront
  18. 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