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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 120 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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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: coach · safe · pit · rest · row · court · craft · band

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. craft — a skill
  5. band — a ring
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. court — of law
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. craft — boats
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. band — a music group
  14. row — a line
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pit — a hole
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. row — to paddle
  19. court — for sport
  20. rest — what's left
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — a trainer

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