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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of law
  3. key — in music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — the animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. court — of a king
  16. bore — to drill
  17. pass — a permit
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. bore — to tire
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bark — to shout
  24. key — the most important part

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