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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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468
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: sharp · coach · spring · rest · game · drill · racket · ball

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. drill — the tool
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a great time
  9. rest — what's left
  10. game — wild animals
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. spring — of water
  14. game — a match
  15. drill — a practice
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. spring — the season
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — a break
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spring — a coil
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. ball — a dance
  24. rest — what's left

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