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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: cold · rash · rule · racket · present · coach · court · wave

  1. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rule — government
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. present — the time now
  6. court — of law
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. court — of a king
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. rash — a series
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. court — for sport
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. cold — an illness
  20. present — a gift
  21. rule — a law
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. cold — not warm
  24. coach — a trainer

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