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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: mark · bound · season · coach · pass · racket

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. bound — tied together
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. season — in sport
  5. mark — a trace
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. mark — a grade
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bound — certain
  13. pass — a permit
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pass — to succeed

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