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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. mine — for digging
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. roll — a cake
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. game — a match
  13. roll — a list
  14. foot — a measure
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. key — in music
  19. key — the most important part
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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