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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 120 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 · bay · mug · game · pound · fine · tube · perch

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. perch — the fish
  5. fine — high quality
  6. game — a match
  7. mug — to rob
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tube — the underground
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. game — wild animals
  14. mug — a face
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mug — a cup
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. tube — a container
  22. pound — a weight
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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