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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: coach · club · trunk · ball · march · fine · ground · row

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. ground — crushed
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. row — to paddle
  9. march — the month
  10. club — a group
  11. fine — all right
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. row — a line
  15. ground — a position
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ground — the earth
  18. march — the month
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. fine — high quality
  21. club — for golf
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — music
  24. ball — a great time

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