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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: pitcher · mark · arm · game · saw · coach · track · toast

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. track — a path
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. game — wild animals
  12. mark — a grade
  13. game — a match
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. track — to keep track
  19. saw — the tool
  20. toast — bread
  21. mark — a trace
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. track — a song

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