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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: file · object · coach · kick · bat · nail · can · court

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. can — to be able to
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. kick — in football
  7. object — to protest
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. file — a document
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. file — a tool
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. bat — the animal
  18. court — of law
  19. file — a line of people
  20. court — for sport
  21. object — an aim
  22. can — a tin
  23. can — a tin
  24. court — of a king

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