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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.

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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: squash · court · board · ground · coach · bat · bear · fan

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. ground — the earth
  3. court — of law
  4. squash — to crush
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. bear — the animal
  11. court — of a king
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. board — a flat piece
  14. court — for sport
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. bear — the animal
  18. board — a committee
  19. bat — the animal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. squash — the sport
  24. bat — for baseball

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