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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bank — for money
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. present — there
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. scale — in music
  8. fine — all right
  9. present — a gift
  10. present — the time now
  11. bank — of a river
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. fine — high quality
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — of law
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bank — for money
  23. mine — for digging
  24. scale — size or range

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