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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. craft — boats
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. last — finally
  10. chip — for betting
  11. craft — a skill
  12. fork — in a road
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. fine — high quality
  16. last — final
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. fine — all right
  20. last — to go on
  21. snap — to click
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. court — of law

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