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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: fall · roll · can · wound · coach · game · sharp · nail

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. fall — the season
  3. can — a tin
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. wound — an injury
  14. roll — a cake
  15. wound — an injury
  16. game — a match
  17. can — to be able to
  18. sharp — clever
  19. roll — a list
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. can — a tin
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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