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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 · trunk · bore · date · face · lash · can · game

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. can — to be able to
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. face — part of the head
  6. court — of a king
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. court — of law
  10. game — wild animals
  11. game — a match
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. date — the fruit
  14. bore — to tire
  15. can — a tin
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. face — to point toward
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. court — for sport
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. can — a tin
  23. bore — gave birth
  24. bore — to drill

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