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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: court · leaves · sharp · trunk · kick · bear · coach · pop

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. court — for sport
  3. bear — the animal
  4. kick — in football
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of law
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. sharp — clever
  9. court — of a king
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. bear — the animal
  16. pop — to visit
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pop — soda
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. trunk — of a tree

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