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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — letters
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of law
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. land — ground
  8. spell — magic
  9. spell — a short time
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. land — a country
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. court — for sport
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. chip — for betting
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. land — to come down
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. chip — to eat

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