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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. staff — a stick
  3. court — of law
  4. roll — a cake
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. court — for sport
  10. roll — a list
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — low music
  15. tube — the underground
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. bass — the fish
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. staff — employees
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. tube — a container

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