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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of a king
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fine — all right
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. root — of a word
  10. rest — what's left
  11. root — the cause
  12. court — of law
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a signal
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. cue — a hint
  21. rest — what's left
  22. perch — the fish
  23. rest — a break
  24. root — of a plant

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