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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: bore · court · tube · ball · racket · calf · stock · trunk

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. court — of a king
  8. bore — to drill
  9. court — for sport
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — a container
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. bore — to tire
  16. ball — a dance
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. racket — for tennis

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