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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — a hole
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — of law
  15. drill — the tool
  16. deal — to handle
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. content — happy
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — to shout
  21. drill — army training
  22. content — the amount
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. foot — a measure

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