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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 · bowl · calf · suit · trunk · mouse · chair · content

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  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. chair — a leader
  2. suit — in cards
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. suit — to fit
  15. content — happy
  16. suit — clothes
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. content — the amount
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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