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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 it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. court — of a king
  3. key — the most important part
  4. ground — the earth
  5. swing — music
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. kid — to tease
  8. court — for sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. court — of law
  12. board — to get on
  13. ground — a position
  14. swing — in golf
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. ground — crushed
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — to play on
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. board — a committee

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