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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: pitcher · patient · coach · perch · charge · season · court · fine

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. perch — the fish
  3. court — of law
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. season — in sport
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. charge — electricity
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — of the year
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. fine — all right
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — a price
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — for sport
  22. fine — high quality
  23. charge — in control
  24. season — to add flavour

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