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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. chair — a leader
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. press — a publisher
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cap — of ice
  12. court — of law
  13. cap — a hat
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. press — newspapers
  18. press — to push
  19. cap — a lid
  20. fork — in a road
  21. court — of a king
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. kick — a thrill

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