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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a match
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. hand — in cards
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. drill — the tool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. drill — army training
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. wake — a trail
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. game — wild animals
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hand — help
  18. drill — a practice

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