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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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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. capital — a city
  6. roll — a cake
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. game — a match
  9. drill — a practice
  10. face — to confront
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. drill — the tool
  13. face — part of the head
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. roll — a list
  19. face — to point toward
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. drill — army training
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. capital — money

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