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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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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: mark · foot · current · season · court · fork · land · coach

  1. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — a garden tool
  2. land — ground
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. current — of water
  7. mark — a grade
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. current — happening now
  10. land — to come down
  11. current — electric
  12. land — a country
  13. season — of the year
  14. mark — a trace
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — in sport
  17. court — for sport
  18. fork — in a road
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of a king
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. court — of law

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