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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. land — a country
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. rest — a break
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. foot — a measure
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fork — in a road
  14. spell — a short time
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. land — ground
  18. spell — letters
  19. pitch — completely
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. spell — magic
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. rest — what's left

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