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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: tube · object · court · bound · season · cold · rule · coach

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — of law
  6. cold — an illness
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. cold — not warm
  9. object — a thing
  10. bound — certain
  11. tube — a container
  12. object — to protest
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. court — for sport
  18. tube — the underground
  19. season — in sport
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rule — a law
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. court — of a king
  24. rule — government

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