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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: object · coach · net · season · roll · bowl · ground · squash

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. roll — a list
  6. net — after costs
  7. ground — crushed
  8. object — an aim
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. squash — to crush
  11. ground — the earth
  12. object — to protest
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. roll — a cake
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. ground — a position
  20. season — of the year
  21. object — a thing
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. squash — the sport
  24. season — in sport

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