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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of law
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — for sport
  7. band — a ring
  8. mate — a friend
  9. drill — army training
  10. mug — a cup
  11. prune — to trim
  12. prune — to trim
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mate — to breed
  15. club — a group
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — for dancing
  19. mug — a face
  20. band — a music group
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. club — for golf

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