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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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. coach — pulled by horses
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. deal — to handle
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mark — a grade
  7. bear — the animal
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. mark — a trace
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. root — the cause
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. drill — the tool
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. root — of a plant
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — of a word
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. drill — a practice
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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