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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: can · court · coach · hide · pitcher · cell · bass · nail

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. can — a tin
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. can — to be able to
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. can — a tin
  15. court — of a king
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. court — of law
  19. bass — the fish
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bass — low music
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. cell — in biology

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