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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mate — a friend
  4. game — a match
  5. spring — a coil
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. spring — the season
  11. drill — the tool
  12. mug — a face
  13. drill — army training
  14. spring — of water
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. game — wild animals
  20. mug — a cup
  21. drill — a practice
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mate — to breed

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