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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 120 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: pound · racket · drill · fan · coach · court · fork · present

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — of a king
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. present — the time now
  7. drill — the tool
  8. court — for sport
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. drill — a practice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. pound — a weight
  19. drill — army training
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. present — a gift
  22. court — of law
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. present — there

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