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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: deal · hand · ball · spell · bore · kid · hide · coach

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. bore — to drill
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. kid — to tease
  5. spell — a short time
  6. hand — help
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spell — letters
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bore — to tire
  18. ball — a dance
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. spell — magic
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  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