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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. land — ground
  3. squash — to crush
  4. cue — a hint
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fine — high quality
  7. cue — a signal
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — a country
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cue — for pool
  16. kid — child
  17. squash — the sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fine — all right
  20. mark — a trace
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. coach — a trainer

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