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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: game · hand · present · coach · cabinet · stock · drill · patient

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — shares
  4. game — a match
  5. drill — a practice
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. hand — in cards
  9. drill — army training
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. game — wild animals
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. present — there
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. present — the time now
  19. drill — the tool
  20. stock — goods
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. hand — help
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. present — a gift

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