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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fine · season · fan · chest · court · rest · coach · object

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — for sport
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. rest — what's left
  5. rest — a break
  6. object — a thing
  7. rest — what's left
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. fine — all right
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. court — of law
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. fine — high quality
  16. chest — of your body
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of a king
  19. object — to protest
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — a box
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — of the year
  24. object — an aim

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