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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: rock · tear · pitcher · cue · wind · saw · coach · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. saw — the tool
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — for sport
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wind — moving air
  8. rock — a stone
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. cue — a signal
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wind — moving air
  17. rock — music
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a hint
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. court — of a king
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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