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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · swing · ball · straw · face · bore · fall · ground

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ground — the earth
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — in golf
  7. face — to point toward
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. bore — to drill
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ground — a position
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. swing — music
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. face — to confront
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. fall — the season
  21. ball — a dance
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bore — to tire
  24. fall — to drop

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