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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 120 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: mark · coach · snap · cell · patient · racket · spell · march

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mark — a grade
  3. snap — to click
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — a phone
  9. march — the month
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. march — music
  12. spell — magic
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mark — a trace
  15. spell — a short time
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spell — letters

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