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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: rash · pound · field · ground · coach · rock · bowl · snap

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rash — a series
  3. rock — a stone
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. field — farmland
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pound — a weight
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. snap — to click
  13. rock — music
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. field — for sport
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. field — a subject
  18. rash — hasty
  19. ground — crushed
  20. ground — a position
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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