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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
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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: wound · ground · calf · coach · rest · sharp · game · pit

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. game — wild animals
  5. rest — what's left
  6. pit — a hole
  7. sharp — clever
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. game — a match
  10. ground — a position
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. rest — what's left
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wound — an injury
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. ground — crushed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pit — in a race
  21. wound — an injury
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. ground — the earth

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