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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.

Make a worksheet

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: mine · content · court · chair · nail · coach · lie · date

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — for sport
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. lie — to recline
  10. mine — for digging
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. date — the fruit
  15. content — the amount
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. chair — a leader
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. court — of law
  22. content — happy
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. court — of a king

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