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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. tube — the underground
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. swing — to play on
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tube — a container
  14. craft — a skill
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. craft — boats
  18. perch — the fish
  19. game — a match
  20. swing — in golf
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. swing — music
  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