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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 120 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: dip · bay · court · game · kick · can · land · coach

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. land — ground
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. game — a match
  10. land — a country
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. land — to come down
  13. can — to be able to
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. game — wild animals
  19. court — of a king
  20. can — a tin
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. dip — to sink
  23. kick — in football
  24. game — a kind of play

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