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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. spell — letters
  6. current — of water
  7. game — wild animals
  8. spell — magic
  9. spring — the season
  10. spell — a short time
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. game — a match
  13. plane — a tool
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. mug — a face
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. current — happening now
  24. mug — a cup

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