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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: fall · mouse · kick · coach · nail · drill · ball · rule

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. drill — army training
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kick — in football
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rule — a law
  11. fall — the season
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rule — government
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. drill — the tool
  17. drill — a practice
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. ball — a dance
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mouse — the animal

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