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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. mug — a cup
  5. saw — the tool
  6. key — the most important part
  7. saw — the tool
  8. current — happening now
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — bread
  11. court — of a king
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. kid — child
  16. court — of law
  17. key — in music
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. mug — a face
  21. current — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. current — electric
  24. key — for a lock

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