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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: game · pitcher · coach · court · plane · mug · suit · cold

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. mug — a face
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mug — to rob
  7. suit — clothes
  8. court — of a king
  9. cold — an illness
  10. plane — a tool
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. mug — a cup
  18. game — wild animals
  19. court — of law
  20. suit — to fit
  21. court — for sport
  22. cold — not warm
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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