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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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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 · drill · bowl · bass · rest · snap · arm · coach

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. snap — to click
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rest — a break
  6. court — of law
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. court — of a king
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. drill — army training
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. drill — a practice
  17. court — for sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bass — low music
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. drill — the tool

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