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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.

Make a worksheet

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: straw · drill · tear · arm · land · game · coach · charge

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tear — from crying
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. drill — army training
  6. charge — a price
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — to come down
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — the tool
  11. game — a match
  12. land — ground
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. land — a country
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. charge — electricity
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. tear — from crying
  22. drill — a practice
  23. charge — in control
  24. tear — to rip

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