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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: mine · press · court · current · pitcher · nail · jam · coach

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. press — to push
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. current — happening now
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. press — a publisher
  11. current — electric
  12. press — newspapers
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mine — for digging
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. current — of water
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. jam — a tight spot

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