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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: arm · cell · ground · drill · last · net · coach · key

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  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. net — in sport
  2. drill — a practice
  3. net — after costs
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — final
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. ground — the earth
  8. last — to go on
  9. key — the most important part
  10. last — finally
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. key — in music
  16. key — for a lock
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. drill — army training
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. net — for catching
  23. cell — in biology
  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