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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: tube · last · game · fan · sharp · drill · straw · coach

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — wild animals
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. last — finally
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. tube — a container
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. drill — the tool
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. tube — the underground
  16. last — final
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — clever
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. drill — a practice
  22. game — a match
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. last — to go on

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