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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: rush · arm · hand · face · sharp · trunk · perch · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. face — to confront
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. face — to point toward
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rush — hurry
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. perch — the fish
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. face — part of the head
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. hand — in cards
  24. hand — help

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