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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: coach · kid · squash · trunk · rock · bay · perch · game

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rock — music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. squash — the sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. squash — to crush
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. perch — the fish
  18. rock — a stone
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kid — to tease
  24. game — a match

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