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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. roll — a cake
  4. cell — in biology
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. court — of law
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. snap — to click
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. roll — a list
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — lets stay

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