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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 · pitcher · court · bay · content · coach · board · stand

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. content — the amount
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. board — a committee
  8. stand — to bear
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. content — happy
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. court — of a king
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. spring — a coil
  19. board — to get on
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spring — the season

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