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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: coach · date · pound · spell · hand · fine · game · rash

  1. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. hand — help
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. spell — letters
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — a match
  10. spell — a short time
  11. rash — a series
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. pound — a weight
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — high quality
  24. rash — hasty

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