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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: court · fan · bowl · mark · sharp · coach · drill · hand

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. hand — in cards
  4. drill — the tool
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. mark — a trace
  10. court — of law
  11. drill — a practice
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. court — of a king
  15. mark — a grade
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. court — for sport
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. drill — army training
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. hand — help
  24. mark — to pay attention

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