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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. drill — the tool
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. squash — the sport
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. squash — to crush
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. game — wild animals
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. fork — in a road
  18. drill — a practice
  19. game — a match
  20. drill — army training
  21. content — happy
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. content — the amount
  24. bowl — a dish

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