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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. swing — in golf
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ground — the earth
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. court — for sport
  11. scale — size or range
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. ground — a position
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. swing — to play on
  18. scale — in music
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. swing — music
  23. ground — crushed
  24. fork — in a road

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