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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. court — of a king
  4. can — a tin
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — to be able to
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — high quality
  10. can — a tin
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. court — for sport
  14. cell — in biology
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of law

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