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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
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: toast · squash · present · bass · racket · date · coach · court

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. squash — the sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. toast — bread
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — of law
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. present — there
  16. present — the time now
  17. court — for sport
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. date — the fruit
  20. squash — to crush
  21. bass — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. bass — low music
  24. date — on the calendar

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