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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  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. court — of law
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. last — final
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. rash — a series
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. court — for sport
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. last — to go on
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. bear — the animal
  21. court — of a king
  22. last — finally
  23. bear — to put up with
  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