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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. court — of law
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fork — in a road
  7. court — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rule — government
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. court — of a king
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. rule — a law
  18. foot — part of the body

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