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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: mark · field · coach · court · drill · bear · chest · kick

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. drill — the tool
  3. field — for sport
  4. chest — a box
  5. court — of a king
  6. chest — of your body
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. drill — a practice
  9. mark — a trace
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bear — the animal
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. court — for sport
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. field — farmland
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. drill — army training
  21. field — a subject
  22. kick — in football
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. chest — of your body

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