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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 · sharp · track · calf · mug · bound · spell · court

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spell — magic
  3. mug — to rob
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bound — certain
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. court — of law
  8. spell — letters
  9. court — of a king
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mug — a cup
  12. track — a path
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. spell — a short time
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. track — a song
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. mug — a face
  24. 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