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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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. drill — a practice
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. root — the cause
  6. rock — a stone
  7. drill — army training
  8. ball — a dance
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. game — a match
  11. rock — music
  12. cue — a signal
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. root — of a word
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a hint
  23. root — of a plant
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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