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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.

Make a worksheet

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: toast · mouse · saw · land · coach · mine · cell · hand

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. land — a country
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. toast — bread
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. saw — the tool
  10. hand — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. cell — a phone
  14. mine — for digging
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. land — ground
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. hand — help
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. cell — in biology
  24. land — to come down

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