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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. charge — a price
  3. drill — army training
  4. court — of a king
  5. ball — a dance
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. charge — in control
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. ball — a great time
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — in a road
  14. charge — electricity
  15. court — of law
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. drill — the tool
  21. court — for sport
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. game — a match
  24. toast — bread

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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