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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pop — to visit
  4. bank — for money
  5. pop — music
  6. pop — soda
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. spring — of water
  10. bank — for money
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. game — wild animals
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. spring — a coil
  17. game — a match
  18. mark — a trace
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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