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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.

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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: dip · swing · capital · season · wave · coach · court · staff

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. capital — a city
  5. swing — to play on
  6. court — of a king
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. swing — music
  10. capital — money
  11. court — of law
  12. staff — employees
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — in golf
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. dip — to sink
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. court — for sport
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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