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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: bay · court · kid · bore · patient · ball · coach · hide

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. court — of law
  3. kid — child
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. court — for sport
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a great time
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bore — to tire
  21. court — of a king
  22. ball — a dance
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. kid — to tease

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