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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: hand · coach · foot · court · season · dip · racket · nail

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. hand — help
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. season — of the year
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. court — of law
  8. foot — a measure
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. court — for sport
  14. hand — in cards
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. dip — to sink
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — a sauce

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