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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 120 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: staff · coach · mate · bark · plane · court · game · current

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bark — to shout
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — to breed
  6. game — wild animals
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. current — of water
  10. plane — a tool
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. court — of law
  14. mate — a partner
  15. staff — a stick
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. court — of a king
  19. staff — employees
  20. game — a match
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. current — happening now
  23. court — for sport
  24. current — electric

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