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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 116 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. board — to get on
  3. track — a path
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of law
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. track — to keep track
  8. wound — an injury
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — for sport
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. rush — hurry
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. board — a committee
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. track — a song

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