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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 116 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: rush · game · bark · coach · wake · mate · pit · mouse

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rush — hurry
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. pit — a hole
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. game — a match
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mate — a friend
  19. pit — in a race
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bark — to shout
  24. mate — to breed

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