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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.

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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: wound · coach · can · wind · track · pitcher · court · face

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. court — of a king
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. track — a song
  5. face — to point toward
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. face — part of the head
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. can — a tin
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. face — to confront
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wind — moving air
  19. track — a path
  20. court — for sport
  21. court — of law
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. can — a tin
  24. can — to be able to

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