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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: current · mouse · court · drill · coach · craft · date · cap

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. court — of law
  3. drill — the tool
  4. current — electric
  5. current — happening now
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — for sport
  8. cap — a lid
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cap — of ice
  13. craft — boats
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — a skill
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. date — the fruit
  19. court — of a king
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. current — of water
  22. drill — a practice
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. drill — army training

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