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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: spring · hide · fork · last · suit · coach · staff · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spring — the season
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. staff — a stick
  7. staff — employees
  8. spring — a coil
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. spring — of water
  11. last — to go on
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. last — final
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. suit — to fit
  17. last — finally
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of a king
  22. staff — employees
  23. suit — in cards
  24. suit — clothes

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