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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a tool
  11. season — in sport
  12. file — a line of people
  13. cue — for pool
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. court — for sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. file — a document
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rush — hurry
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. cue — a hint

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