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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: dip · ball · coach · saw · season · racket · land · deal

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. land — ground
  3. land — to come down
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. ball — a great time
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. saw — the tool
  15. dip — to sink
  16. saw — the tool
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. ball — a dance
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. land — a country
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. season — in sport
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. deal — to handle

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