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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: pit · row · track · court · cell · straw · coach · last

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. court — of a king
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. cell — a phone
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — final
  8. cell — in biology
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. last — finally
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. court — of law
  13. row — a line
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. track — to keep track
  18. track — a path
  19. court — for sport
  20. track — a song
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. last — to go on
  23. pit — in a race
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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