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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. rash — hasty
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — high quality
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — all right
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. cue — for pool
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cue — a hint

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