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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: stick · wake · bat · staff · rock · snap · coach · game

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. rock — a stone
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rock — music
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — the animal
  15. staff — employees
  16. snap — to click
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. staff — a stick
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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