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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: fan · court · net · coach · perch · chest · bay · ground

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. chest — of your body
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. net — after costs
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. chest — of your body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — a position
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. court — for sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. chest — a box
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. net — in sport

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