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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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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: nail · wind · pop · shower · coach · court · pit · root

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — music
  3. root — of a word
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pit — in a race
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. shower — rain
  12. pit — a hole
  13. shower — to wash
  14. court — for sport
  15. pop — to visit
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. court — of a king
  20. pop — soda
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. root — of a plant
  23. root — the cause
  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