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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. kick — in football
  3. row — a line
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a music group
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. tube — the underground
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. row — to paddle
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. tube — a container
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. court — of law

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