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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.

Make a worksheet

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 · season · court · wave · coach · mouse · present · net

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — for sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. present — the time now
  5. court — of a king
  6. present — a gift
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. cold — an illness
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — in sport
  16. cold — not warm
  17. net — in sport
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. court — of law
  20. present — there
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. net — for catching
  23. wave — of the sea
  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