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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: rest · ball · coach · pitch · current · court · bound · track

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  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. track — to keep track
  2. rest — a break
  3. track — a path
  4. current — happening now
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. court — for sport
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. current — of water
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. pitch — completely
  14. track — a song
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. rest — what's left
  17. current — electric
  18. rest — what's left
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bound — obliged
  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