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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 116 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: swing · court · pop · season · bore · coach · scale · mate

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  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. bore — to drill
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. swing — to play on
  7. court — of law
  8. season — of the year
  9. mate — to breed
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bore — to tire
  12. swing — music
  13. scale — in music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pop — soda
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. mate — a partner
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. scale — size or range
  23. pop — music
  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