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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 · patient · lean · object · net · court · coach · shower

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. shower — rain
  3. court — for sport
  4. object — an aim
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. court — of a king
  9. lean — thin
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pit — a hole
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. net — in sport
  14. object — a thing
  15. lean — to bend
  16. net — after costs
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. object — to protest
  20. pit — in a race
  21. shower — to wash
  22. net — for catching
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. coach — a trainer

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