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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: racket · rush · present · field · bowl · ball · coach · ground

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ground — a position
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. present — the time now
  9. field — a subject
  10. ground — the earth
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. field — for sport
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. present — there
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ball — a great time
  19. present — a gift
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. field — farmland
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a dance

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