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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. fine — all right
  5. mark — a trace
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. court — of law
  8. spring — a coil
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. file — a document
  11. mark — a grade
  12. current — of water
  13. current — happening now
  14. file — a tool
  15. spring — of water
  16. current — electric
  17. court — of a king
  18. bore — to tire
  19. spring — the season
  20. file — a line of people
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. bore — to drill
  24. coach — a trainer

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