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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: row · rash · bay · content · ball · object · net · coach

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. row — a quarrel
  3. content — happy
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. rash — a series
  7. object — an aim
  8. object — to protest
  9. net — in sport
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. row — a line
  12. ball — a great time
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. net — for catching
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rash — hasty
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. net — after costs
  20. object — a thing
  21. row — to paddle
  22. content — the amount
  23. rash — on the skin
  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