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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. court — for sport
  13. rest — a break
  14. mine — for digging
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. rest — what's left
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. court — of a king
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mine — an explosive

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