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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. saw — the tool
  3. march — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. firm — a company
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. band — a music group
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. firm — steady
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. chip — to eat
  14. march — the month
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. chip — for betting
  18. firm — decided
  19. band — a ring
  20. saw — the tool
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. court — for sport
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. court — of law

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