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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. tear — from crying
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. net — after costs
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. net — for catching
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — a measure
  12. tear — to rip
  13. staff — a stick
  14. net — in sport
  15. staff — employees
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. court — of law
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. court — for sport
  21. staff — employees
  22. tear — from crying
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. court — of a king

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