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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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 — a trainer
  2. net — for catching
  3. net — in sport
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of a king
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. kick — in football
  8. net — after costs
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. firm — decided
  11. bass — low music
  12. court — for sport
  13. snap — to click
  14. firm — steady
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — rain
  21. firm — a company
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. kick — with a leg
  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