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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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  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. ruler — a monarch
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. squash — to crush
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mark — a trace
  10. cell — a phone
  11. pitch — completely
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. cell — in biology
  14. squash — the sport
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. mark — a grade
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. foot — a measure
  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