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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: sharp · mate · swing · racket · coach · game · cap · pound

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. cap — a hat
  4. swing — music
  5. pound — a weight
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cap — of ice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. mate — a friend
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. swing — to play on
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — clever
  21. mate — a partner
  22. game — wild animals
  23. mate — to breed
  24. cap — a lid

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