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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. object — to protest
  6. court — for sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. content — the amount
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. drill — a practice
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. drill — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. court — of law
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. fork — in a road
  22. content — happy
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. drill — army training

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