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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: trunk · content · lash · spell · net · rash · court · object

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. object — a thing
  3. spell — a short time
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. net — after costs
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. object — an aim
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rash — a series
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. object — to protest
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. spell — magic
  19. court — for sport
  20. net — in sport
  21. rash — hasty
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. content — happy
  24. net — for catching

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