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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 116 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: coach · court · ball · ground · face · band · cabinet · shower

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ground — the earth
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. court — of a king
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. ball — a great time
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. ball — a dance
  13. face — to confront
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — rain
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a music group
  20. shower — to wash
  21. band — a ring
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. court — for sport

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