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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. charge — in control
  3. fork — in a road
  4. court — of law
  5. spring — a coil
  6. perch — the fish
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spring — of water
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bass — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — the season
  13. court — for sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. court — of a king
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. hand — in cards
  20. charge — electricity
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. charge — a price

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