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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. lash — an eyelash
  3. court — for sport
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. net — after costs
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. net — in sport
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — of law
  14. bound — obliged
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. bound — certain
  19. net — for catching
  20. court — of a king
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fork — in a road
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. fork — a garden tool

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