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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. land — ground
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. land — to come down
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. deal — to handle
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. land — a country
  16. chip — for betting
  17. game — wild animals
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. game — a match
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. kick — in football

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