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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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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: fork · coach · bear · racket · court · race

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. 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 — of a king
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. race — a contest
  4. court — of law
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bear — the animal
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. fork — in a road
  11. bear — the animal
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. race — the arms race
  16. court — for sport
  17. race — humankind
  18. 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