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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.

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: cue · court · game · straw · coach · pass · land · bay

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. court — of a king
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — a signal
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. court — of law
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. game — a match
  18. court — for sport
  19. cue — a hint
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cue — for pool
  22. land — ground
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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