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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: craft · bank · drill · game · cue · rush · last · coach

  1. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. last — final
  7. cue — a signal
  8. drill — army training
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. craft — a skill
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. bank — for money
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. cue — for pool
  16. cue — a hint
  17. last — finally
  18. bank — for money
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — to go on
  21. drill — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. bank — of a river
  24. rush — hurry

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