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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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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. net — in sport
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. net — after costs
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. court — for sport
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. court — of a king
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. net — for catching
  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