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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: date · squash · court · pass · swing · bank · coach · march

  1. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. bank — of a river
  3. squash — the sport
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bank — for money
  7. march — the month
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. pass — a permit
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of law
  12. swing — music
  13. squash — to crush
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. march — music
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. swing — to play on
  19. date — the fruit
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. date — on the calendar

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