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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: ground · band · last · net · coach · court · spring · pass

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. last — final
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. ground — a position
  9. spring — of water
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — finally
  12. band — a ring
  13. ground — crushed
  14. spring — the season
  15. ground — the earth
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. pass — a permit
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. court — of law
  21. net — for catching
  22. spring — a coil
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. band — a music group

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