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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: track · pitcher · game · pound · lash · spell · coach · present

  1. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — to keep track
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. spell — magic
  6. present — the time now
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. spell — a short time
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. game — wild animals
  11. track — a path
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. game — a match
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. track — a song
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. pound — a weight
  21. present — there
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. spell — letters

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