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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bore — to tire
  4. court — of law
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. scale — size or range
  7. court — for sport
  8. court — of a king
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wound — an injury
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. scale — in music
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. pound — a weight
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. date — the fruit
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. bore — gave birth

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