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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 120 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: object · row · court · bat · board · track · pitch · coach

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. track — to keep track
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a path
  5. board — a committee
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. board — to get on
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — to paddle
  12. court — of law
  13. pitch — completely
  14. track — a song
  15. object — a thing
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. row — a line
  20. object — an aim
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. bat — the animal
  23. object — to protest
  24. court — of a king

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