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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.

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: coach · jam · leaves · pitch · rest · date · fan · court

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — a break
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. court — of law
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. pitch — completely
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. date — the fruit
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — of a king
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. court — for sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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