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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: court · cold · coach · cell · straw · suit · bore · object

  1. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. suit — to fit
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. object — an aim
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cell — in biology
  11. object — to protest
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cell — a phone
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. bore — to drill
  16. suit — in cards
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cold — not warm
  20. suit — clothes
  21. object — a thing
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. court — of a king

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