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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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Word bank
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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — to rob
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. game — a match
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. mug — a cup
  9. game — wild animals
  10. wound — an injury
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. saw — the tool
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. ball — a dance
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — the tool
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. saw — the tool
  22. wound — an injury
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. drill — army training

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