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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: court · fork · coach · fan · can · snap · last · pop

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. last — finally
  4. pop — to visit
  5. last — final
  6. pop — soda
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. court — of a king
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pop — music
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. can — a tin
  15. snap — to click
  16. last — to go on
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. can — a tin
  19. fork — in a road
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for 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