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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: suit · fall · clip · present · court · hide · trunk · sharp

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. court — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. suit — in cards
  5. fall — the season
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. clip — to cut
  10. court — of a king
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. clip — for paper
  14. present — there
  15. suit — to fit
  16. court — of law
  17. fall — to drop
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. clip — a video
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. sharp — clever
  22. suit — clothes
  23. present — the time now
  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