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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — in sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mine — for digging
  8. bass — low music
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. season — of the year
  11. rash — hasty
  12. bass — the fish
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. last — final
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. court — for sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. last — finally
  23. court — of law
  24. last — to go on

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