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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: face · snap · game · bowl · coach · drill · can · ground

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. ground — a position
  6. face — to confront
  7. face — part of the head
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ground — crushed
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. snap — to click
  13. drill — a practice
  14. drill — army training
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. face — to point toward
  19. game — wild animals
  20. drill — the tool
  21. ground — the earth
  22. game — a match
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bowl — a football final

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