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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. craft — boats
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. court — for sport
  7. game — wild animals
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. cap — a lid
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. cap — a hat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cap — of ice
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. court — of a king
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. game — a match
  23. court — of law
  24. fork — to eat with

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