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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. court — of law
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. court — for sport
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. mine — for digging
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. last — finally
  15. wax — to grow
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — a weight
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. last — to go on
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. last — final

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