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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: fine · game · cell · pound · jam · coach · row · racket

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. row — to paddle
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. game — a match
  5. fine — all right
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. game — wild animals
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. cell — in biology
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. cell — a phone
  20. pound — a weight
  21. row — a line
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. pound — to hit hard

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