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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: field · bass · rash · court · bowl · current · chair · coach

  1. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. field — for sport
  3. bass — low music
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. court — for sport
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. court — of law
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. court — of a king
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. field — a subject
  17. current — electric
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. chair — a leader
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. field — farmland
  22. current — happening now
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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