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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — for sport
  3. game — a match
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. cue — a hint
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spell — letters
  8. bark — to shout
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. court — of law
  11. cue — for pool
  12. land — to come down
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. spell — magic
  15. land — a country
  16. court — of a king
  17. spell — a short time
  18. game — wild animals
  19. land — ground
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. cue — a signal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bowl — to roll

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