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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: band · chair · patient · coach · last · pound · ball · net

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. ball — a dance
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. chair — a leader
  6. pound — a weight
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. ball — a great time
  10. net — after costs
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. last — to go on
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. last — final
  18. net — for catching
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. band — a music group
  21. last — finally
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. band — a ring

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