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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. staff — employees
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — of law
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. court — for sport
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. court — of a king
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. row — a line
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. last — final
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. staff — a stick
  21. last — to go on
  22. last — finally
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — a trainer

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