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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: season · leaves · game · coach · vault · hand · foot · mug

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. hand — help
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — a match
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mug — a face
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. vault — a safe
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. season — in sport
  19. hand — in cards
  20. foot — a measure
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. game — wild animals
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. season — of the year

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