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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.

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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. mine — for digging
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. bore — to tire
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — a match
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. cap — a hat
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. pitch — completely
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. bore — to drill
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bay — a horse colour

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