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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: wake · last · chip · roll · coach · game · sharp · rule

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. sharp — clever
  5. chip — for betting
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rule — government
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rule — a law
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. wake — a trail
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. last — finally
  16. game — a match
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. last — final
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. chip — to eat
  23. last — to go on
  24. roll — a list

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