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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: foot · pop · court · roll · wound · lie · coach · fork

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  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. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. roll — a list
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. pop — music
  7. pop — soda
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — a measure
  13. court — of law
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. fork — in a road
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. roll — a cake
  20. lie — to recline
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — to visit
  23. wound — an injury
  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