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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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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 · rest · pitcher · toast · mate · wind · safe · coach

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mate — a friend
  3. court — of law
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — for sport
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. wind — moving air
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. toast — bread
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. rest — a break
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. safe — a strongbox

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