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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: staff · drill · coach · ball · wound · fine · chest · net

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. net — for catching
  5. fine — high quality
  6. staff — employees
  7. net — after costs
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. chest — a box
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. ball — a dance
  12. net — in sport
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. drill — the tool
  17. fine — all right
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. staff — a stick
  21. staff — employees
  22. ball — a great time
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — army training

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