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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. toast — bread
  3. game — a match
  4. degree — temperature
  5. drill — a practice
  6. game — wild animals
  7. foot — a measure
  8. drill — the tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. bank — for money
  17. fall — the season
  18. drill — army training
  19. fall — to drop
  20. degree — an amount
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bank — of a river
  23. degree — from a university
  24. bank — for 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