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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. wound — an injury
  4. court — of a king
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. court — for sport
  9. mug — a cup
  10. mug — a face
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. wound — an injury
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. mug — to rob
  15. staff — a stick
  16. court — of law
  17. staff — employees
  18. row — a line
  19. row — to paddle
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. sharp — clever

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