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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — for sport
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. court — of law
  8. bound — tied together
  9. land — ground
  10. bound — certain
  11. firm — a company
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. firm — decided
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. court — of a king
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. firm — steady
  19. fork — in a road
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bound — obliged
  22. land — a country
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. land — to come down

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