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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 120 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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — of a king
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. drill — army training
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. drill — a practice
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. squash — the sport
  13. squash — to crush
  14. stem — to come from
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. fall — to drop
  18. spring — of water
  19. court — of law
  20. fall — the season
  21. fall — to drop
  22. court — for sport
  23. drill — the tool
  24. spring — the season

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