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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: field · trunk · content · court · can · object · chest · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. field — for sport
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. content — happy
  8. court — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. content — the amount
  13. court — of law
  14. chest — a box
  15. field — farmland
  16. object — an aim
  17. object — a thing
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. can — a tin
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. object — to protest
  24. court — of a king

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