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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 · fall · object · coach · mug · fork · shower · mark

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. object — a thing
  3. game — wild animals
  4. object — to protest
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mug — a face
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. mark — a grade
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. object — an aim
  11. fall — the season
  12. mark — a trace
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. mug — a cup
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — in a road
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. fall — to drop
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — to wash
  24. mug — to rob

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