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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
468
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: cold · suit · wake · pass · net · chip · court · coach

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. suit — in cards
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pass — a permit
  5. cold — not warm
  6. wake — a trail
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. net — for catching
  11. chip — for betting
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — an illness
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. suit — to fit
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. net — after costs
  20. suit — clothes
  21. court — of a king
  22. net — in sport
  23. chip — to eat
  24. court — of law

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