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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: court · bass · current · coach · scale · pass

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. current — of water
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. pass — a permit
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bass — the fish
  9. scale — in music
  10. court — of a king
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bass — low music
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — happening now
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. scale — size or range
  17. court — for sport
  18. current — electric

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