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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. drill — army training
  7. stem — to come from
  8. hand — in cards
  9. squash — to crush
  10. game — wild animals
  11. current — of water
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. current — happening now
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. toast — bread
  16. current — electric
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. drill — a practice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. hand — help
  21. game — a match
  22. drill — the tool
  23. squash — the sport
  24. coach — a trainer

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