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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: coach · kid · hand · object · game · wake · bore · squash

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. object — a thing
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. object — to protest
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. kid — child
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bore — to drill
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. squash — to crush
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. object — an aim
  18. kid — to tease
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. squash — the sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. hand — in cards
  23. hand — help
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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