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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 water is too ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. mate — a friend
  11. land — to come down
  12. game — wild animals
  13. land — a country
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. mate — a partner
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cold — an illness
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a match

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