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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — a grade
  4. fine — high quality
  5. present — there
  6. court — of a king
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. fine — all right
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. mate — a friend
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mate — a partner
  15. present — the time now
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. game — wild animals
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. game — a match
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. mate — to breed
  24. bark — to shout

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