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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: sharp · band · court · coach · cap · drill · cabinet · pit

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. cap — a hat
  3. drill — the tool
  4. band — a music group
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. court — of law
  8. sharp — clever
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — of ice
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a hole
  16. band — a ring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. drill — a practice
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. drill — army training
  24. cap — a lid

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