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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. fine — all right
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. fine — high quality
  9. file — a tool
  10. land — to come down
  11. court — of a king
  12. land — ground
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a line of people
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. land — a country
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. court — for sport
  19. file — a document
  20. bank — for money
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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