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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: perch · ball · coach · patient · pitch · mouse · ground · court

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. ground — crushed
  4. court — of a king
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. ball — a dance
  14. court — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — a position
  18. ground — the earth
  19. pitch — completely
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of law

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