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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: rock · ball · coach · kid · fine · date · season · drill

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. drill — the tool
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. ball — a great time
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. date — the fruit
  12. drill — army training
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rock — a stone
  19. season — of the year
  20. fine — all right
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. season — in sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. coach — a trainer

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