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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of law
  3. hand — in cards
  4. court — for sport
  5. bark — to shout
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — of a king
  11. clip — to cut
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. hand — help
  16. clip — for paper
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. clip — a video

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