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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: dip · shower · court · coach · temple · perch · file · chair

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of law
  6. dip — to sink
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. shower — rain
  9. file — a tool
  10. court — of a king
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. file — a document
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. chair — a leader
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. shower — to wash
  23. perch — the fish
  24. file — a line of people

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