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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 120 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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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 · kid · chest · pit · temple · stick · game · saw

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. kid — child
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pit — in a race
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. game — wild animals
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. pit — a hole
  9. game — a match
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. chest — a box
  16. saw — the tool
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. chest — of your body
  21. chest — of your body
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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