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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: wind · court · nail · rock · present · racket · coach · hide

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. present — the time now
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. present — a gift
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rock — music
  12. rock — a stone
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — of law
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. court — of a king
  18. court — for sport
  19. wind — moving air
  20. present — there
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — to keep secret

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