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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: coach · date · ball · kid · present · scale · racket · rest

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. kid — to tease
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. present — the time now
  6. rest — what's left
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. present — there
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — size or range
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. scale — in music
  16. ball — a dance
  17. date — the fruit
  18. rest — what's left
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. ball — a great time
  21. present — a gift
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rest — a break
  24. kid — child

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