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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: ball · wound · coach · temple · sharp · club · shower · swing

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. club — a group
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wound — an injury
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. ball — a great time
  11. swing — to play on
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. club — for golf
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. sharp — clever
  17. club — for dancing
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. swing — music
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. swing — in golf
  24. wound — an injury

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