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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 · fall · pound · suit · tear · deal · trunk · face

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tear — from crying
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. suit — clothes
  7. tear — to rip
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pound — for dogs
  10. fall — to drop
  11. suit — to fit
  12. pound — a weight
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. tear — from crying
  15. suit — in cards
  16. fall — to drop
  17. face — to confront
  18. deal — to handle
  19. fall — the season
  20. court — for sport
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. face — part of the head
  23. court — of law
  24. trunk — of a car

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