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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mark — a trace
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. lean — to bend
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. lean — thin
  10. bulb — for light
  11. clip — a video
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. clip — to cut
  15. chair — a leader
  16. court — for sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. court — of a king
  20. clip — for paper
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bulb — for light

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