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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: game · saw · land · coach · spell · mug · plane · racket

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. mug — to rob
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mug — a face
  5. plane — a tool
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. land — ground
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. game — wild animals
  16. spell — magic
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. spell — a short time
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. game — a match
  23. mug — a cup
  24. land — a country

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