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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 120 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: charge · trunk · foot · shower · field · present · nail · court

  1. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — a subject
  5. court — of a king
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. charge — in control
  8. court — of law
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — farmland
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. charge — electricity
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. charge — a price
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. present — there
  18. foot — a measure
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. shower — to wash
  21. present — the time now
  22. shower — rain
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. present — a gift

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