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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.

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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: clip · rush · coach · court · bay · net

  1. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. court — of law
  3. clip — for paper
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. clip — a video
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. rush — hurry
  8. net — in sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. clip — to cut
  13. court — for sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. court — of a king
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. bay — to keep at bay

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