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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. court — of law
  5. object — a thing
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. court — for sport
  8. swing — to play on
  9. scale — in music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. object — an aim
  12. object — to protest
  13. last — to go on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stem — to come from
  17. swing — music
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. last — finally
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. last — final
  22. scale — size or range
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. scale — for weighing

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