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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 · drill · court · pitcher · coach · lean · file · tube

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. tube — the underground
  3. lean — thin
  4. lean — to bend
  5. court — of law
  6. drill — the tool
  7. tube — a container
  8. court — for sport
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. drill — a practice
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. file — a document
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. drill — army training
  19. file — a tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. file — a line of people

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