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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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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: row · bore · coach · roll · sharp · season · racket · mark

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. sharp — clever
  6. mark — a grade
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. roll — a list
  11. bore — to drill
  12. row — a line
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. season — of the year
  18. row — to paddle
  19. roll — a cake
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. season — in sport
  24. sharp — exactly

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