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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 · roll · pop · bear · chair · game · craft · squash

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. craft — a skill
  4. bear — the animal
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. squash — the sport
  11. chair — a leader
  12. squash — to crush
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bear — the animal
  17. game — wild animals
  18. roll — a cake
  19. roll — a list
  20. craft — boats
  21. game — a match
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. squash — the vegetable

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