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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: dip · chest · lean · cue · pitcher · game · coach · racket

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — for pool
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. lean — to bend
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. game — a match
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. chest — of your body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. cue — a hint
  19. game — wild animals
  20. lean — thin
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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