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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.

Make a worksheet

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: roll · perch · hand · court · season · coach · spring · fan

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. roll — a cake
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. perch — the fish
  6. hand — help
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. spring — the season
  10. season — of the year
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. spring — a coil
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. court — of law
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. court — for sport
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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