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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. season — of the year
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — to protest
  5. land — ground
  6. pop — soda
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — for sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. court — of law
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. pop — to visit
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. object — an aim
  15. vault — a safe
  16. season — in sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. land — a country
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pop — music
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. land — to come down

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