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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. fine — all right
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. ball — a dance
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. court — of a king
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ball — a great time
  15. foot — a measure
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. march — music
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. hand — help
  20. squash — to crush
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. squash — the sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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