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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — for sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of a king
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. kick — in football
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mark — a grade
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. court — of law
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pit — a hole

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