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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. court — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. season — of the year
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. clip — a video
  9. bear — the animal
  10. court — of law
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. season — in sport
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. clip — for paper
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bear — the animal
  19. clip — to cut
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. coach — a trainer

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