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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. staff — a stick
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. tear — from crying
  5. court — of law
  6. staff — employees
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. court — for sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — of water
  14. court — of a king
  15. spring — a coil
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. spring — the season
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. tear — to rip
  23. sharp — clever
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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