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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · trunk · game · coach · sharp · foot

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. lie — to recline
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. foot — a measure
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. lie — an untruth

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