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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: pop · saw · hand · coach · arm · game · toast · rash

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. saw — the tool
  3. toast — bread
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hand — help
  8. game — wild animals
  9. hand — in cards
  10. pop — to visit
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. pop — music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. saw — the tool
  21. game — a match
  22. rash — a series
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. game — a kind of play

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