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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: court · rash · fan · racket · perch · coach · last · plane

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — to go on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. court — of a king
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. plane — a tool
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. perch — the fish
  14. last — final
  15. court — of law
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — for sport
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — finally
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. rash — a series
  24. plane — an aircraft

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