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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
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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: racket · spell · cell · coach · pop · fine · pitcher · court

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fine — high quality
  4. cell — in biology
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. spell — a short time
  7. court — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fine — all right
  11. spell — letters
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. court — of a king
  14. pop — to visit
  15. court — of law
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. spell — magic
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pop — soda
  23. pop — music
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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