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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 116 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: ground · mouse · coach · court · field · object · sharp · kick

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. field — farmland
  3. ground — the earth
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — for sport
  6. ground — a position
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. ground — crushed
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. sharp — clever
  14. court — of a king
  15. object — an aim
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. kick — in football
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. court — of law
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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