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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
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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: ball · fan · pitch · court · race · coach · firm · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. court — of a king
  3. race — the arms race
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. court — of law
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. race — humankind
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. court — for sport
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. firm — a company
  17. ball — a great time
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. firm — steady
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitch — completely
  24. firm — decided

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