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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 120 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: court · club · rash · coach · saw · temple · track · net

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. track — a path
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. net — in sport
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. club — for dancing
  11. net — after costs
  12. net — for catching
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a song
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — for golf
  19. court — for sport
  20. club — a group
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. temple — side of the head

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