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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: track · club · spell · coach · net · kick · drill · ground

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. track — a path
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. net — after costs
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. spell — letters
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. ground — a position
  9. track — a song
  10. ground — crushed
  11. spell — magic
  12. track — to keep track
  13. drill — army training
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. club — for dancing
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ground — the earth
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. drill — a practice

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