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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a match
  3. face — part of the head
  4. spring — the season
  5. cue — a hint
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. game — wild animals
  8. track — a path
  9. spring — a coil
  10. bank — for money
  11. cue — for pool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cue — a signal
  14. spring — of water
  15. bank — of a river
  16. track — to keep track
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. bank — for money
  22. track — a song
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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