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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. fall — the season
  5. key — for a lock
  6. can — a tin
  7. fall — to drop
  8. bore — to tire
  9. plane — a tool
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. key — the most important part
  13. can — to be able to
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. fall — to drop
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. can — a tin
  19. bore — to drill
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. key — in music
  22. game — a match
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. bark — to shout

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