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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. tube — a container
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. charge — electricity
  9. court — of a king
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. mate — to breed
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. mate — a friend
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. tube — the underground
  16. court — of law
  17. roll — a cake
  18. prune — to trim
  19. roll — a list
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. charge — a price
  22. prune — to trim
  23. court — for sport
  24. charge — in control

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