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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a hint
  4. clip — for paper
  5. lean — to bend
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. clip — a video
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. cue — a signal
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. lean — thin
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. clip — to cut
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. lean — to rest against

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