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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: board · game · coach · bore · mug · tube · hand · last

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. mug — to rob
  3. last — final
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. last — to go on
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mug — a face
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. mug — a cup
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. tube — a container
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — to drill
  16. hand — help
  17. game — a match
  18. board — a committee
  19. board — to get on
  20. tube — the underground
  21. last — finally
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — part of the body

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