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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cue — a signal
  3. bat — the animal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — of law
  9. branch — a division
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — the season
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. cue — a hint
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. chip — to eat
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. court — for sport
  24. nail — for a hammer

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