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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. foot — a measure
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rash — hasty
  6. sharp — clever
  7. tube — the underground
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. court — for sport
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. tube — a container
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. court — of law
  23. rash — a series
  24. coach — a trainer

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