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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.

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: coach · squash · court · ground · mouse · pitcher · bear · bound

  1. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. bear — the animal
  4. squash — to crush
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. ground — crushed
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. bear — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bound — certain
  13. court — for sport
  14. ground — the earth
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. court — of law
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bound — tied together
  24. court — of a king

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