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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 · rush · calf · pitch · trunk · present · cabinet · net

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. net — after costs
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. present — the time now
  6. court — of a king
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. present — there
  13. present — a gift
  14. court — for sport
  15. rush — hurry
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. court — of law
  24. trunk — of a car

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