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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. game — wild animals
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. land — ground
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. land — to come down
  8. bass — low music
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stem — to come from
  11. band — a music group
  12. stem — a stem cell
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — a country
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bass — the fish
  19. game — a match
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. band — a ring
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. game — a kind of play

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