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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 120 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. spring — a coil
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pass — a permit
  6. pitch — completely
  7. spring — the season
  8. drill — a practice
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. game — wild animals
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. drill — army training
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. spring — of water
  16. game — a match
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. drill — the tool

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