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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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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: trunk · court · squash · kick · toast · swing · rock · sharp

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — a stone
  3. court — of law
  4. squash — to crush
  5. swing — in golf
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. kick — in football
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. squash — the sport
  13. court — for sport
  14. rock — music
  15. court — of a king
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. sharp — clever
  18. toast — bread
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. sharp — with an edge

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