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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · temple · kick · game · hide · coach · bat · ground

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. game — a match
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. ground — crushed
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bat — the animal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kick — in football
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. game — wild animals
  21. drill — the tool
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. drill — a practice

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