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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: game · band · pit · foot · mug · cell · coach · perch

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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. coach — pulled by horses
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. game — wild animals
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. cell — in biology
  8. band — a ring
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. pit — in a race
  11. foot — a measure
  12. game — a match
  13. cell — a phone
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mug — a cup
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mug — a face
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a music group
  23. perch — the fish
  24. mug — to rob

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