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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — wild animals
  3. key — for a lock
  4. file — a document
  5. key — the most important part
  6. cue — for pool
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cue — a signal
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. content — the amount
  14. key — in music
  15. game — a match
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. cue — a hint
  19. content — happy
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a line of people
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. content — videos and posts

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