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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. kid — to tease
  3. game — a match
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. kick — in football
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. press — newspapers
  8. bank — of a river
  9. track — a song
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. track — a path
  12. bank — for money
  13. kid — child
  14. press — a publisher
  15. bank — for money
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. press — to push
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. shower — to wash
  22. track — to keep track
  23. shower — rain
  24. game — wild animals

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