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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · nail · court · craft · rush · game · bark · coach

  1. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. ground — a position
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. ground — crushed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. court — of law
  11. rush — hurry
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. game — a match
  17. ground — the earth
  18. game — wild animals
  19. bark — to shout
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. nail — for a hammer

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