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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fork — in a road
  4. row — a line
  5. court — for sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — in sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — of law
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bound — obliged
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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