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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: rash · coach · content · sharp · game · pass · last · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. 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. court — for sport
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. last — final
  5. game — a match
  6. rash — a series
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — happy
  9. rash — hasty
  10. sharp — clever
  11. court — of law
  12. last — finally
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. court — of a king
  18. pass — a permit
  19. content — the amount
  20. game — wild animals
  21. last — to go on
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. 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