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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: coach · sharp · kid · board · ball · squash · roll · fall

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — to crush
  2. squash — the sport
  3. roll — a list
  4. ball — a dance
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. fall — the season
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fall — to drop
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. fall — to drop
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. kid — child
  16. kid — to tease
  17. board — a committee
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. board — to get on
  21. roll — a cake
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. ball — a great time

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